At dusk on March 6, at 6 o'clock Beijing time, the first leg of the AFC Champions League Quarter-Finals will kick off in a highly anticipated match for Chinese fans. Shandong Luneng Taishan will welcome Yokohama Marinos to their home ground.
The knockout round of the AFC Champions League has entered the second round, and every game is like a battle of life and death, especially for the Yokohama Mariners, such an extraordinary overall strength of the team, whether the home can be the first to win the game is particularly critical. After all, if the home field can not win, Shandong Luneng in Japan away almost no hope to overturn.
Yokohama Marinos is an old rival to Shandong Luneng. The two sides have met four times in the AFC Champions League, with an even record. But in the last two meetings, Luneng failed to win. Therefore, in the upcoming AFC Champions League quarterfinals, Shandong Luneng must maintain a high degree of vigilance.
As a matter of fact, Shandong Luneng has been in quite a good form lately, with two consecutive victories in the AFC Champions League and Chinese Super League, a 4:2 win over Kawasaki Frontale in the AFC Champions League, and a 4:1 win over Changchun Yatai in their first match in the Chinese Super League, which greatly boosted the team's morale. The three foreigners, Kressan, Kazaishvili and Jadson, all played well, and even Pato, who was once criticized, miraculously found his way back to form. With the stable play of these four foreign aiders, coach Choi Kang-hee can be said to be "ready for anything".
However, facing the challenge of Yokohama Marinos, the key to Shandong Luneng's victory is not the four foreigners mentioned above, but a mature late-blooming local midfielder. He is Li Yuanyi, who did not attract much attention when he played for Evergrande. As he grows older, Li Yuan's technical and tactical level is getting more and more refined. He is not only good at defensive interceptions and quick steals, but also has outstanding ball control skills. His ability to break through with the ball is one of the best in the team. After the departure of Moises, Choi Kang-hee has made Li Yuan-yi the new centerpiece of the team's midfield. In the first two consecutive victories, Lee's organizational ability and flexibility in the midfield has been praised by the outside world.
According to the data, in the first seven AFC Champions League games, Li Yuanyi contributed one goal and one assist for Luneng, whose offensive efficiency is comparable to that of foreign aid. With his outstanding performance in the AFC Champions League, Li Yuanyi even received praise from the official blog of the Asian Cup and was strongly recommended to enter the Chinese national team. Therefore, Li Yuanyi will undoubtedly become the key cultivation object of coach Cui Kangxi. Only if Li Yuanyi plays well, Shandong Luneng's midfield control and attacking efficiency in front of the field can be effectively guaranteed.
To summarize, in this matchup between Shandong Luneng and Yokohama Marinos, it may not be the four ace foreigners who decide the direction of the game, but rather the local player who is gradually making his mark. Let's wait and see what happens in this exciting matchup.
