On the night of October 25th, the third round of the AFC Champions League group stage continued with Shandong Taishan and Zhejiang teams battling it out, both winning by the same score of 2-0, while Wuhan Sanzhen also won for the first time in their history last night. Meanwhile, Wuhan Three Town also achieved a historic first win in the AFC Champions League last night, with the Chinese Super League team once again winning all the AFC Champions League group stage matches after a six-year hiatus. However, against this backdrop, no one is more embarrassed than Shanghai Harbour's Chinese Super League leadership, whose goalkeeper Yan Junling is under immense pressure. Because in this round of the AFC Champions League, the Chinese Super League team not only achieved three wins, but also emerged two heroic goalkeeper, which poses a serious threat to Yan Junling's position in the national team.
Among the opponents of the three Chinese Super League teams in this round, South Korea's K-League powerhouse Incheon United is undoubtedly the strongest. Shandong Taishan narrowly missed out on a win in the last round of Chinese Super League matches, with three foreigners unfortunately injured. This time on the road, the challenge facing Taishan is still tough. At the beginning of the match, Incheon United used the home field advantage to launch an onslaught of attacks, which once put Taishan's defense in a difficult situation. Fortunately, Taishan has a goalkeeper, Wang Dalei. In the first minute of the match, Dalei saved a long pass from the opponent. In the 4th minute, he successfully deflected the opponent's close-range header. In the 38th minute, Incheon United's quick counterattack, Jung Dong-yun's shot was skillfully blocked by Dare.
Throughout the match, Incheon United had 11 shots on goal, four of which were deflected by Wang Dalei, but he had to accept a 0-2 loss at home in the end. Despite being 34 years old, Wang Dalei is still in excellent form. Shandong Taishan conceded only 23 goals in 28 rounds of Chinese Super League matches, and Wang Dalei's contribution cannot be underestimated. In terms of athleticism, he is undoubtedly better than Yan Junling.
Similarly, Zhejiang goalkeeper Zhao Bo also showed excellent form in tonight's match. Facing the Japanese Emperor's Cup champions Kofu Kazuhayashi, Zhao Bo made 6 heroic saves to keep the goal intact. In the first two rounds of the AFC Champions League group stage, despite Zhejiang's losses, Zhao Bo also contributed seven saves, an outstanding performance. As a goalkeeper, Zhao Bo is 1.88 meters tall and has an excellent sense of position, goal-line technique and reaction in front of the goal. 30 years old is the golden age of goalkeepers. Despite the fact that he has never played for the national team, Zhao Bo was selected for the national team.
In contrast, Yan Junling is facing a huge embarrassment as the main goalkeeper of the national team. In the last round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), he made a serious mistake that led to Harbour conceding a goal and became the culprit in his team's 1-2 defeat against Beijing Guoan. This lackluster performance has caused fans to worry about his performance in the upcoming preseason.
It is worth mentioning that Shanghai Harbor and Shandong Taishan will play a head-to-head match in the 29th round of the Chinese Super League this weekend. This match, which is known as the battle of the heavenly mountain in the Chinese Super League, may be Yan Junling's last chance to save himself. If he fails to lead his team to an excellent result, Shanghai Seaport may lose the title and Yan's place in the national team will be in jeopardy.
