Heart of Ambition, Passion - Jiang Shenglong strikes a winning blow as Shenhua creates historical milestone
As the 88-minute clock ticked down and the score remained deadlocked at 0-0, and just when fans thought Shenhua might end up with another draw, Jiang Shenglong appeared like a shooting star and scored like a thunderbolt, instantly igniting the passion in the Shanghai Stadium. This golden goal is not only a tribute to Shenhua's history, but also the team's 1,500th goal in an official game.
On the night of May 15th, the 12th round of the Chinese Super League started at Shenhua's home field, facing Qingdao Hainiu. The match ended with a 2-0 win for Shenhua, with goals from Jiang Shenglong and Ma Lailai. Now, Shenhua is leading the league table with 30 points.
In the last away match against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Shenhua's offense seemed to be on ice. Facing the opponent's tight blockade, Shenhua failed to break through the opponent's defense. After the game, coach Slutsky was keenly aware that the team must find a strategy to break the dense defense. However, a failure to win all three points has made Shenhua's advantage in the table become delicate. The suspensions of Mallet and Teixeira have certainly affected the offense, but Slutsky is confident that the team's overall tactics will not be affected by the absence of individual players.
For Manatees, who are at the bottom of the league, beating Shenhua has become their only goal. Facing Shenhua's strong firepower, Manatee hopes to use defensive counter-attacks to score on the road.
In Shenhua's team history, Jiang Shenglong scored that crucial 1500 goal.
The moment when Mallet scored with a clever grab in front of the goal was one of the highlights of the game.
Throughout the game, Shenhua had 61% ball possession and 88 offensive threats, while their opponents had only 32. Shenhua took 25 shots on goal, 10 of which were on target, while their opponents took only 6 shots on goal and 3 on target. These data, undoubtedly reveals the gap between the strength of the two teams.
However, the prolonged period of time without a goal made the players anxious, and even Slutsky was on the edge of his seat. 86 minutes in, Han Chao came on as a substitute, and his stamina and speed gave the opponent's defense a jolt and saved energy for Shenhua's final attack. 91 minutes in, Cao Hui came on as a substitute. The two veterans controlled the ball as if it was flowing, and finally in the extra time, Malelai easily sent the ball into the empty goal, sealing the victory for Shenhua.
Jiang Shenglong's goal proved once again that anyone can step up at a critical moment. Malelai's goal grab was a symbol of his courage after coming back from injury. This game was not only a 3-point victory, but also a severe test of the team's strength and tactics. The team's resilience and determination to not give up allowed them to explode with energy at the last moment, which is the quality of the truly strong.
In the post-game interview, Jiang Shenglong said, "All the coaches and players held on until the end. We had to get the three points today." With a goal and an empty net save, Jiang Shenglong was hailed as "the hero of the team" by Slutsky. Talking about the great defensive game, Jiang said, "As a defender, opponents don't score easily, but the defense will always make mistakes, and we always have someone to fill in."
Jiang Shenglong is not the only one, the Shenhua players interviewed all attributed the victory to the joint efforts of the team, with everyone fighting for the collective good. This kind of dedication is also an indispensable element of a strong team.
After the match, Slutsky summarized, "It was exceptionally difficult to score against the opponent's dense defense. If the first goal had come earlier, we might have had more space and chances. Breaking the dense defense is recognized as a big problem in the football world, but I'm glad the players didn't give up in front of the difficulties, they stuck to the last moment and won the victory."
Teixeira will miss a number of games due to injury. Slutsky revealed in a follow-up tactical deployment, "Without Teixeira, our central players could miss key passes, so we opted for more passing to create chances. As I said before, I prefer all-round soccer rather than relying on individual players. Even if we are missing some key players, we will still do our best to ensure the quality of the game and maintain our technical and tactical style."
Shenhua are about to face two consecutive away challenges against Henan and Shenzhen.
