The dream of soccer, a touch. Under the camera, the green field witnessed a historic moment - in the 88th minute, the score was still deadlocked, 0-0. Just when people thought Shenhua would add another draw, Jiang Shenglong scored a stone-cold shot that instantly ignited the passion of Shanghai Stadium. This golden goal is the 1,500th goal in Shenhua's official history, which is very meaningful.
On May 15, nightfall, Shanghai Shenhua hosted Qingdao Hainiu in the 12th round of the Chinese Super League. The final whistle blew and Shenhua beat their opponents 2-0, with goals from Jiang Shenglong and Malelai. Currently, Shenhua continues to lead the table with 30 points and is at the top of the league.
Looking back at the last away match against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Shenhua's offense was once in a stalemate, and the team was unable to get anything in the face of the opponent's tight defense. After the game, coach Slutsky realized that the team needed to find a breakthrough in the dense defense. Although the suspensions of Mallet and Teixeira have affected the offense, Slutsky is convinced that the absence of individual players will not shake the team's overall tactics.
For Manatees, who are at the bottom of the league, this matchup with Shenhua is their only hope. In the face of Shenhua's fierce attack, Manatee tries to get points on the road with defensive counterattack tactics.
Jiang Shenglong scored this landmark goal in Shenhua's team history. Malelei grabbed the ball in front of the goal and struck it. Throughout the game, Shenhua's ball possession reached 61%, with 88 attacking threats and 25 shots, including 10 on goal, while their opponents only had 6 shots and 3 on goal. These figures visualize the disparity in strength between the two teams.
However, the delay in scoring made the players feel anxious and even Slutsky could not sit comfortably in the coach's box. 86 minutes, Han Chao came on as a substitute, and with his energy and speed, he disrupted the opponent's defense and built up the strength for Shenhua's last-minute attack. 91 minutes, Cao Hui came on as a substitute, and the two veterans controlled the ball on the left side of the pitch together like a flowing river. In stoppage time, Shenhua again showed wonderful cooperation, Hanchao crossed in front of the goal, Malelai easily broke through the goal, for the team to lock the victory.
Jiang Shenglong's goal proved once again that anyone can be the team's savior at critical moments. Malelai's goal kick was a reflection of his courageous state after coming back from injury. This game is not only a 3-point victory, but also a test of the team's strength and tactics. The tenacity and determination not to give up have forged the unity and cohesion of Shenhua, which is exactly where the power lies.
In the post-match interview, Jiang Shenglong said, "All the coaches and players stuck to the last minute. We had to win the three points today." With a goal and an empty net save, Jiang Shenglong was hailed as "the hero of the team" by Slutsky. Talking about the great defense, Jiang said, "As a defender, the opponent won't be able to score easily, but the defense will inevitably make mistakes, and other teammates will make up for it in time."
Not only Jiang Shenglong, but all Shenhua players interviewed emphasized the power of the team. This kind of dedication is exactly the quality necessary for a strong team.
After the match, Slutsky summarized, "It was really difficult to score against the opponent's dense defense. If the first goal had come earlier, we would have gotten more space and chances. Breaking the dense defense is a recognized problem in world football, but I'm glad the players didn't give up in the face of difficulties and persevered until the last moment to score a goal."
Teixeira will miss a number of games due to injury. Slutsky said in a follow-up technical and tactical deployment, "In the absence of Teixeira, our center players could miss the last pass, so we opted for more passes to create chances. As I said before, I prefer to play the whole soccer rather than relying on one or two players. Even though we were missing some important players, we still did our best to ensure the quality and technical and tactical style of play."
Next up for Shenhua are two away games against Henan and Shenzhen.
