On November 7, Shandong Taishan defeated their former nemesis Shanghai Shenhua with a 2-0 score. Although Wang Dalei did not start, the new starting goalkeeper Han Rongze's solid performance made the fans forget about Wang Dalei for a while. Whenever Shenhua launched a set-piece attack, Taishan fans would leave messages worrying about whether Han Rongze would be able to pounce on the ball. However, as the game progressed, this concern gradually dissipated. Han Rongze's performance on the field seems to be more stable than Wang Dalei. If Wang Dalei had been in goal, he might have had a hard time resisting Shenhua's offense, given their history. Now that Han Rongze has successfully neutralized Shenhua's threats, it seems that Wang Dalei's place after the ban may be taken by Han Rongze.
Meanwhile, Taishan's defender Song Long also performed well and he scored a goal in the game. After the game, Song Long said he had already thought of a way to celebrate, and even forgot to celebrate in his excitement. However, some commentators seemed to doubt Song Long's ability to score, believing that his goal was pure luck. Why the commentator was so skeptical is unknown. However, Song Long's "acting" on the pitch did leave something to be desired, as it took three consecutive intentional non-kicks for referee Zhang Lei to realize this, which left Song Long worrying about whether he would be penalized for a yellow card on the pitch.
With Taishan's victory, the pressure to win the title shifted to Wuhan Sanzhen, who have yet to start their campaign. In order to maintain their dignity, they are unwilling to let their plan of catching up with Shandong Taishan fall through after losing 1-5 to Beijing Guoan. It is believed that in tomorrow's match between Beijing Guoan and Wuhan Sanzhen at home, many Taishan fans will be there to cheer for Guoan.
