On the night of April 16, the first round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) season was played. Shanghai Shenhua beat Shandong Taishan at home by a narrow margin of 1-0, a good start for the new season. On the other hand, Shandong Taishan's highly-anticipated team suffered consecutive defeats in the first round of the Cup, the Super Cup and the league. Nonetheless, the game was still a close and exciting one, with Shanghai Shenhua's new recruits playing a key role and Shandong Taishan's unique style of play. The crowd at the Shanghai Stadium was enthusiastic, announcing that the long-awaited return of the Chinese Super League was indeed upon us.
The pace of the game was tight and every minute was full of suspense.
Both sides are among the top teams in domestic soccer. The only goal in the match came in the 40th minute of the first half. Wu Xi's clever pass from the left side of the field was not touched by his teammates, but the ball bounced into the net, and Shandong Taishan goalkeeper Han Rongze was unable to do anything about it, so the score was rewritten. This goal seems to be a coincidence, but reflects the Shanghai Shenhua sustained offensive pressure. Prior to this, Shenhua had created a number of threats, and Wu Xi's precise passes showed the veteran's exquisite skills.
Compared to the passive situation in the Super Cup a few days ago, Shandong Taishan's spirit in this game has improved significantly, but there is still room for improvement in the efficiency of the offense. In the 8th minute alone, Shandong Taishan came close to scoring with a cross from the right, Liu Yang's header was unstoppable, but Shenhua goalkeeper Ma Zhen's brave save prevented the goal. Ma Zhen's debut was a bit of a surprise, after all, Shenhua also introduced Bao Yaxiong, who performed well last season.
However, Ma Zhen was undoubtedly the hero of Shenhua's win. In the last minute of the game, Shandong Taishan naturalized player Fernando threatened Shenhua's goal several times with free kicks and long-distance shots, but Ma Zhen's timely saves saved the city's goal. In the second half, although Shenhua mainly focus on counterattacks, but the efficiency is very high. Substitute Cao Jie and Ma Lailai both created a huge threat to Taishan with their speed. The fast pace of the game was also a highlight of its spectacle.
Shenhua's new recruits had an eye-catching performance, especially Portuguese midfielder João Teixeira, whose all-around skills made two successful breakthroughs and four fouls, combing the team's attacking line and becoming the core of the team's trustworthy midfield in the game. Another midfielder Amadou, as a back, showed excellent blocking and defending ability, contributing two interceptions and four clearances, becoming a solid barrier in the team's midfield.
Both teams made massive reinforcements in the off-season, while Shenhua invested more money in signings but focused on value for money. Teixeira came from the Qatari league, Amadou was waived, and Malalele moved from a West Asian side. Although Malalei's debut was met with some skepticism, he still played an important role in the game. Shenhua's reinforcements have been quite effective from the first round of matches.
Shandong Taishan team mainly made adjustments internally. Newcomer Sun Guowen made his debut and managed to make three interceptions in defense, and also performed well on the offensive end with a high pass success rate. Another new recruit, Tong Lei, has yet to have much of a chance to perform as a substitute, but Li Yuanyi and Hu Jinghang will have to wait for his debut.
Naturalized player Fernando is in the spotlight. After two years of not participating in official matches, his speed has indeed decreased, and some media have quipped that he has "changed from a motorcycle to a battery car". But Fernando did bring changes to Taishan's offense, especially in the second half, his addition to the team's side of the road is not unavailable. We are looking forward to his return to form and another outstanding performance.
A full return for the new season may bring chaos to the league.
This season has seen the Premier League return to its 2019 mold, which is great fun for fans, but also puts pressure on teams. The running around and discomfort between home and away games could lead to more cold games. In the first round of matches, the top three teams from last season, including Wuhan Sanzhen, Shandong Taishan and Zhejiang, all suffered defeats, which has revitalized the suspense of this season's league.
It is encouraging to see that the excitement of the league has picked up, with each team playing with a relatively full squad. Shenhua and Taishan teamed up for a great matchup, a far cry from last season's "four foreigners and a full Chinese team". Locadia's debut goal, Tang Miao's and Adrian's world waves, and 16-year-old Shahzati's first professional goal were all highlights of the first round of the 2023 Chinese Super League. The narrowing of the gap between the teams' strengths bodes well for the league's competitiveness and excitement.
The return of the fans was most gratifying. From Shanghai to Wuhan, from Zhengzhou to Beijing, every home ground was flooded with enthusiastic fans for the first time in three seasons. Three seasons of empty stadiums had virtually isolated the Chinese Super League from its fans, and now that joy has finally returned.
So, where will the Chinese Super League end up this season? It's too early to draw conclusions at the beginning of the season, but it's safe to say that the excitement of this season's Chinese Super League will reach its peak in recent years.
