Beijing time on the night of October 25, the Asian Champions League group stage smoke filled to the third round, Shandong Taishan and Zhejiang United launched a fierce offensive, and finally won with a score of 2-0 points. Meanwhile, Wuhan Three Town ushered in their first AFC Champions League win in a historic moment last night, as the Chinese Super League team once again achieved a single-round win in the group stage after a six-year hiatus. However, behind this brilliance, Shanghai Harbour's Chinese Super League leaders are facing an embarrassing situation, with their goalkeeper Yan Junling under immense pressure. Because in this round of the AFC Champions League, the Chinese Super League teams not only won all three matches, but also emerged two top goalkeepers, which posed a serious challenge to Yan Junling's national No. 1 position.
The strongest opponent that the Chinese Super League teams will face in this round is none other than Incheon United, the powerhouse of South Korea's K-League. Shandong Taishan had a close loss in the last round of CSL matches, with three foreigners injured. This time, they faced a tough challenge on the road. At the beginning of the match, Incheon United launched an onslaught of attacks with the advantage of the home field, and Taishan's defense was once in a state of panic. Fortunately, Taishan has a goalkeeper, Wang Dalei. In only the first minute, Dare confiscated the opponent's long pass. In the 4th minute, he again deflected the opponent's close-range header. In the 38th minute, Incheon United's quick counterattack, Zheng Dongrun's shot was full of force, but Wang Dalei successfully saved it with his keen insight. Throughout the 90 minutes of play, Incheon United had 11 shots on goal, but four were deflected by Wang Dalei, but despite this, Taishan still lost 0-2. Despite being over 34 years old, Wang Dalei is still in excellent form. Wang Dalei was instrumental in Shandong Taishan conceding only 23 goals in 28 rounds of Chinese Super League matches this season. In terms of athleticism, he has undoubtedly surpassed Yan Junling. Meanwhile, Zhejiang's goalkeeper Zhao Bo also showed an amazing performance. Facing the Japanese Emperor's Cup champion Kofu Kazuhayashi, Zhao Bo made many saves to keep the goal intact. In the first two rounds of the AFC Champions League group stage, Zhao Bo contributed 7 saves despite Zhejiang's loss, a remarkable performance. As a 1.88-meter tall goalkeeper, Zhao Bo 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 his lack of national team experience, Zhao Bo was selected for the national team. In contrast, Yan Junling, the No. 1 goalkeeper of the country, is in an awkward situation. In the last round of the Chinese Super League, he made a fatal mistake that led to a goal conceded by the harbor and became the culprit of his team's 1-2 loss to Beijing Guoan. His sluggish form has fans worried about his performance in the upcoming preseason. It is worth mentioning that Shanghai Seaport and Shandong Taishan will play a direct match in the 29th round of the Chinese Super League this weekend. This battle could be Yan Junling's last chance to save himself. If he fails to lead his team to a victory, Shanghai Seaport will probably lose the chance to win the championship, and Yan Junling's position as the No. 1 player of the country will also be in danger.
