At 20:00 on August 10, Beijing time, in the 22nd round of the Chinese Super League, a key battle kicked off at Shanghai Shenhua's home field to face Nantong Zhiyun, who is at the bottom of the table.
At the beginning of the match, Shanghai Shenhua showed a strong offense. Amadou broke the deadlock with a precise left-footed shot that went straight through Nantong Zhiyun's city. However, Malelai was injured on the field, Fernando missed a good opportunity, while Luis missed two shots on goal, Shanghai Shenhua took a 3-0 lead in the first half.
In the second leg, Wu Xi's shot further widened the margin, while Nantong Zhiyun's Bao Yaxiong's mistake gave a gift to Ji Shengpan who was able to pull a goal back. But Chen Jin's long-distance world shot sealed the victory. In the end, Shanghai Shenhua beat Nantong Zhiyun 5-1, and although they are still five points behind Shanghai Port, the next round of the Shanghai derby is highly anticipated.
In this match, Shanghai Shenhua started with a 4231 formation, with all four foreign aiders on the field, while Nantong Zhiyun used a 433 formation, with three foreign aiders forming an attacking trident. Nantong Zhiyun looked too relaxed in the match, as if they were warming up for the next season's Central League. Despite Shanghai Shenhua's many chances, Malelai's mistakes and injuries put the team in a passive position.
In the second half, Wu Xi extended the lead, but Nantong Zhiyun's Bao Yaxiong gave away a gift by mistake, allowing Ji Shengpan to equalize. Chen Jin's breakthrough and shot on goal again sealed the win for Shanghai Shenhua. In the end, Shanghai Shenhua swept Nantong Zhiyun 5-1 to consolidate their position in the league.
According to statistics, throughout the game, Shanghai Shenhua's ball possession was as high as 61%, and the number of shots on goal reached 22, of which 8 were on target; Nantong Zhiyun had 5 shots on goal and 4 on target.
