Tonight, Shanghai Harbor, one of the dark horses in the Chinese Super League, finally suffered their first loss of the season after a long undefeated campaign! Despite a one-goal lead at the start of the match, the team was unable to withstand the sharp counterattack of Changchun Yatai's foreign center forward Junior, who scored two consecutive goals to turn the game around, not only losing their undefeated status, but also handing over the top spot in the Suzhou Division.
After a city derby against Shanghai Shenhua, Seaports fine-tuned their starting lineup, with two physical wingbacks, Lv Wenjun and Wang Shenchao, being replaced, while summer transfer Paulinho made his debut in the starting lineup. At the beginning of the match, Harbour City attacked like a tide, but Paulinho and his teammates failed to improve the efficiency of the attack.
Changchun Yatai's quick counter-attacks, however, were unusually active, and Tan Long came close to converting the score in the 30th minute, hitting the post with his shot. After halftime, the harbor team adjusted their lineup, Chen Binbin and the out-of-form Paulinho were replaced, Lu Wenjun and U23 player Zhang Huachen came on as substitutes.
After the substitution, Seaports broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, Oscar won the ball on the left and transferred it skillfully, He Hubu's unguarded cross allowed Lu Wenjun to head the ball into the goal. However, due to the lack of depth in the front line, Harbor was still unable to withstand Changchun Yatai's attack.
Seaports head coach Leko, faced with an unfavorable attacking situation, could only replace striker Lopez with midfielder Buytijiang in an attempt to strengthen the defense. However, Seaport did not manage to hold on to their victory and were instead repelled by Changchun Yatai's quick counter-attacks.
Changchun Yatai equalized in the 80th minute when Junior scored easily from a teammate's pass. In the 85th minute, Changchun Yatai almost went back to the lead, but Junior's one-touch goal was deflected by Yan Junling. However, a minute later, Changchun Yatai again through a rapid counterattack, Junior scored again.
From leading to trailing, Seaports had no choice but to substitute substitute striker Hu Jinghang, but it was too late and they had to accept their fate of losing. Since the restart of the Chinese Super League, Harbour's performance has been disappointing, with Arnautovic's return, the team's striker's attacking ability has been greatly reduced, scoring only 4 goals in 5 games.
Lackluster offense has led to teams often failing to maintain their advantage after taking the lead. The game against Beijing Guoan was a shutout, and against Changchun Yatai they conceded two goals in a row after 80 minutes. Even the games that were won were narrow 1:0 victories, with no way to extend the scoreline advantage and close calls at the back.
Thus, it is not the defense that the Seaports really need to address, but rather the weakness on the offensive end. However, with the team's current forward line configuration, this question seems too tricky for head coach Leko. At least in these five rounds of matches, he was unable to give a satisfactory answer.
