In the first round of the 2024 Chinese Super League, Zhejiang, who returned to the Huanglong Sports Center after a 1,583-day absence, welcomed their first opponent of the new season, newly promoted Shenzhen New Pengcheng. It took only 20 minutes for the game to get off to a good start, as Zhejiang drew 0:0 with a 10-man squad, thanks to a goal by captain Frank.
The photos document the passionate race scene, and photographer Guo Tianqi captures the moment.
Shenzhen Xinpengcheng changed its name in February after receiving approval from the Chinese Football Association (CFA) to represent Shenzhen in the Chinese Super League for the first time. The team's lineup incorporates many new faces, such as former Meizhou Hakka foreign aid player Dujalić and other powerhouse players.
Before the match, Zhejiang head coach Jordy said bluntly, "This season the Chinese Super League teams have been strengthened, we have watched yesterday's game, the strength of the teams is not bad, Shenzhen also has such momentum."
In the match, Zhejiang's four foreigners made their debut, with Lucas holding down the rear defense and captain Frank sitting in the midfield. Leonardo, last season's top scorer in the Chinese Super League, and newcomer Owusu were up front, with Sun Guowen making his personal debut. Shenzhen Xinpengcheng also fielded four foreigners, led by captain Zhu Baojie.
Only 2 minutes into the match, Zhejiang got a good opportunity to attack, Owusu went for a single goal, but unfortunately, Peng Peng, the goalkeeper, pounced on it. In the 8th minute, Zhao Bo pounced on Shenzhen Xinpengcheng's shot; in the 20th minute, Sun Guowen was sent off for destroying a scoring opportunity; however, in the 26th minute, Frank broke through the goal, and the 10-man Zhejiang team took the lead. The first half ended with Zhejiang leading 11:0.
In the 57th minute, Shenzhen Xinpengcheng attacked a threatening header, Zhao Bo pounced to solve the danger; in the 62nd minute, Lucas free kick hit the goal, the ball deflected off the goalposts; in the 71st minute, Shenzhen Xinpengcheng shot hit the goalposts. In the end, Zhejiang team resisted the attack and won 1:0.
After the match, Shenzhen Xinpengcheng Head Coach Jesús Tato said, "Football is sometimes like this, although we played with one extra man, our opponent is also a team that is very good at the game, and our opponent's goalkeeper made many great saves." For his part, Jordy said, "We did a good job of controlling the ball in the beginning, but lacked some means to push into the opponent's box. Three points in our first home game is very important for us and congratulations to our team."
It is worth mentioning that this game is the first official game of Zhejiang team returning to Huanglong Sports Center, which attracted the enthusiastic support of many fans, 25,337 people came to watch the game. Chen Lin, a fan, said, "I've seen many Zhejiang team's matches in Huanglong Sports Center, and the experience is very good. Now the team I support can come back here to continue the fight, and I'm excited about that too."
In the next round, Zhejiang will continue to host Shanghai Seaport and Shenzhen Xinpengcheng will face Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. (End)
