Santos and Shanghai Shenhua are in the thick of the Equalizer Cup action on Feb. 4 (Beijing time).
The clash was Shanghai Shenhua's second consecutive match in the Equalizer Cup. In the first match, the team's legendary veteran Yu Hanchao scored a solo goal in a 1:0 come-from-behind victory over Qatari powerhouse Duhail.
Santos has a great reputation in Brazilian soccer, having been the stage for King Pele, and current Brazilian soccer leader Neymar has also made his mark in Santos.
Shanghai Shenhua started this campaign with a 352 formation, with striker partners Jin Shunkai and Andre, midfielders such as Malelai, Amadou, Teixeira, Xu Hao Yang, Yu Hanchao and other strong players, three center back combinations of Jin Yangyang, Manafa and Wen Jiabao, and goalkeeper Ma Zhen. The total value of the starting lineup is up to 6.975 million euros.
On Santos' side, Carlos and Pedrijo play as a double striker, with Thiago, Quintino, Enzo and Wesley in midfield, Ivoni, Vinicius, Kaddu and Derek in the back four and Paulo in goal, in the starting 442 formation, with a total of 900,000 euros for the players.
Although the Brazilian giants are sending a "second team" this time, they were unfortunately relegated to the second division after last season's Barclays Premier League, and the loss of key players has undoubtedly had an impact on the team's strength.
At the beginning of the game, Shanghai Shenhua showed the advantage of "playing big against small".
Just nine minutes in, Xu Haoyang went close with a long-range shot from outside the penalty area.
On 15 minutes, Manafa's shot went just wide after a fine straight shot from inside the box by Teixeira.
On 18 minutes, Teixeira fired a shot from a small angle, only to have the goalkeeper make a heroic save.
In the 27th minute, Shanghai Shenhua launched a smooth attack in front of the field, Teixeira was blocked by the opponent in the penalty area, and then adjusted the angle in time to make up for the goal, Shanghai Shenhua 1:0 lead Santos.
In 37 minutes, Shanghai Shenhua got a free kick in front of the field, Yu Hanchao punished the kick-off, Malelai header, Shanghai Shenhua 2:0 to extend the lead.
Santos junior Patati showed amazing footwork in the 45th minute with a long shot in front of the net to tie the game at 1-2.
Santos had a great chance in the 75th minute but Vinicius missed the chance in front of goal.
In the 84th minute, Shanghai Shenhua counterattacked, the new international player Xie Pengfei sent accurate direct, Luis adjusted and calmly shot to score, Shanghai Shenhua 3:1 reverse.
In the 88th minute, Dai Weijun took a powerful shot from inside the box to consolidate Shanghai Shenhua's lead 4-1.
The final whistle blew and Shanghai Shenhua beat Santos 4-1. Although most of the opponents are young or marginal players, the victory is undoubtedly the best proof of the training results for Shanghai Shenhua. With the addition of a new coach, Shanghai Shenhua's dream of winning the Chinese Super League title in the new season is becoming clearer and clearer.
