In tonight's seventh round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Shanghai Seaports continued to hold on to the top spot in the Suzhou Division with a close 1:0 win over Hebei thanks to a controversial goal. However, the Harbour Team's lead in the standings of the two divisions seems to be unsteady.
Despite the win, Seaport scored only one goal in 180 minutes in two consecutive matches since the restart of the Chinese Super League, and it was a penalty kick. Without star center forward Arnautovic, Harbour's strength on the offensive end has dropped significantly, which has certainly increased the pressure on the team.
For this game, Seaport head coach Leko only made minor changes to his lineup, with Lu Wenjun returning to left wingback and Li Shenglong partnering Lopez in the forward line. This was almost all the team had on the offensive end, as the only player left on the bench was 18 year old Jabo Diem.
Nonetheless, Lee Sheng Long showed resilience in the game and it was his creation of a penalty kick opportunity that allowed Oscar to strike and break the deadlock on the pitch. However, compared to Arnautovic, Li Shenglong was clearly unable to fully replace the Austrian international, and the strength of the Harbour's forward line was significantly weakened.
Lopez has been even more disappointing, and aside from two shots that hit the post, he seems to be completely outside the team system and unable to assume the No. 10 jersey left behind by Hulk.
In the final moments, Lopez twice missed passes as his team switched from defense to offense, nearly allowing the opponents to equalize the score. For Harbour to stay competitive in the upcoming matches, it is imperative to strengthen their midfield and defense. Nonetheless, the team's lack of power in the forward line after losing its big name foreign goal scorer cannot be ignored, which will undoubtedly affect the team's prospects of winning the Super League title this season.
