On the night of September 30, 2023, the 27th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) was in full swing as Shanghai Shenhua welcomed Qingdao Hainiu at home. Although Qingdao Hainiu's overall performance has been mediocre this season, their confidence was on full display in the match. In the first half, Shanghai Shenhua missed good chances and finally broke the deadlock in the penalty shootout to take the lead. Despite the obvious gap in the rankings, Qingdao Hainiu's performance should not be underestimated in terms of match performance.
Since the 2012 season, Shanghai Shenhua has never lost to Qingdao in the league. Since the 2013 season, Shanghai Shenhua have scored 10 goals in their four matches against Qingdao, while Qingdao have failed to score any goals. Currently, Qingdao Hainiu are not under relegation pressure, so they look relaxed in the game. In the last round of matches, both sides won. Shanghai Shenhua beat Cangzhou Lions 2-0, while Qingdao Manatees beat Nantong Zhiyun 3-1. Shanghai Shenhua missed at least two good scoring opportunities in the first 20 minutes of the first half. First, in the 11th minute, Jin Shunkai hit the crossbar with a header inside the penalty area; then in the 17th minute, foreigner Malelai had a one-touch chance, but missed due to the defense of Qingdao Hainiu players. Until the 26th minute, Shanghai Shenhua was awarded a penalty kick, Cao Jie calmly took the penalty kick, and it was a success, helping Shanghai Shenhua to take a 1-0 lead. It must be mentioned that the penalty kicker Liu in Cao Li Ding showed a very high level of calmness and composure.
