In the 27th minute, Vargas almost completed his hat-trick but was undone by an accidental foul on his opponent, failing to cut into the box. Immediately afterward, Ulsan HD quickly countered with a mistake by Li Ang that led to a red card, leaving SIPG to respond with a 10-man squad.
Despite SIPG's predicament in the closing stages of the first half, Muscat decisively adjusted his tactics at the start of the second half, opting to press forward and attack, fully unleashing his tactical intelligence and virtuosity.
Even when facing a numerically superior opponent on the road and already leading 2-0, Muscat still boldly switched from back to center forward, eventually witnessing Vargas' hat-trick. This proves that for a Chinese Super League team to win on the road in the AFC Champions League, it's not enough to just sneak up on them, they also have to show a unique style.
In the second half, despite the numerical disadvantage, Shanghai Hong Kong still had five shots on goal, demonstrating their strength and style as the double champions of the Chinese Super League.
Behind this victory, apart from Vargas, Stanley Wong's performance is also worthy of praise. From the AFC Cup final to this AFC Champions League match, the veteran showed a superb level of athleticism despite the team's shortage of manpower.
Stanley Wang's superiority in technical awareness makes him a key pillar of the team. Whether it's Wu Lei, Stanley Wang or Lu Wenjun, they are all valuable assets to Shanghai Harbour. The young players still have a lot to learn from them in handling the details of the game.
