Santos and Shanghai Shenhua are set to battle it out on February 4 in the Equalizer Cup.
Shanghai Shenhua had their second match this time in the Equalizer Cup, the top Chinese Super League competition. In the first match, veteran Yu Hanchao scored a brace to beat Qatari powerhouse Duhail with a 1:0 record.
And Brazil's Santos, a traditional powerhouse, has spawned soccer superstar Pele, and current Brazilian international Neymar made his debut at this club.
Shanghai Shenhua responded with a 352 formation, with Jin Shunkai and Andre joining hands in the forward line, a midfield of Malelai, Amadou, Teixeira, Xu Hao Yang and Yu Hanchao, a trio of center backs, Jin Yangyang, Manafa and Wen Jiabao, and a goalkeeper, Ma Zhen. The total value of the starting lineup is worth a whopping 6.975 million euros.
For Santos, Carlos and Pedrijo played as a double striker, with Thiago, Quintino, Enzo, and Wesley sitting in midfield, and a back four of Ivoni, Vinicius, Kaddu, and Derek, with Paulo in goal holding down the fort. The starting lineup is worth a total of 900,000 euros.
Apparently, the Brazilian giants are fielding a second team squad this time around, having lost a lot of their star players in light of last season's relegation from the Barclays Premier League.
As the game unfolded, Shanghai Shenhua took a clear advantage with their "big against small" strategy.
Only nine minutes into the match, Xu Haoyang went close with a shot from outside the penalty area.
Immediately after, in the 15th minute, Manafa broke into the box and played a precise pass to Teixeira who shot but was off target.
On 18 minutes, Teixeira fired a shot from a small angle that was valiantly saved by the goalkeeper.
In the 27th minute, Shanghai Shenhua front field smooth cooperation, Teixeira was blocked in the penalty area, meet the ball shot and then add a shot, 1:0, Shanghai Shenhua lead.
In 37 minutes, Shanghai Shenhua free kick in front of the field, Yu Hanchao punished and drove to the penalty area, Malelai header broke the goal, 2:0, Shanghai Shenhua extended the advantage.
Santos youngster Patati kicked a stunning shot from distance in front of goal in the 45th minute. 1:2, Shanghai Shenhua lead.
Santos had a great scoring opportunity in the 75th minute, but Vinicius missed the chance with a poor stop in front of goal.
In the 84th minute, Shanghai Shenhua counterattacked, new recruit Xie Pengfei sent a fine straight, Luis adjusted and calmly pushed the goal. 3:1, Shanghai Shenhua another city.
In the 88th minute, Dai Weijun blasted a shot from inside the box to bring the score to 48 minutes to 1.
In the end, Shanghai Shenhua made light work of Santos with a score of 4:1 thanks to the excellent play of Teixeira, Mallet, Luis and Dai Weijun. Although Santos only has a lineup of young and fringe players, the victory is undoubtedly a valuable training experience for Shanghai Shenhua. After the coaching change, Shanghai Shenhua is undoubtedly aiming for the Chinese Super League title in the new season.
