On the evening of July 13th, the 19th round of the Chinese Super League was held in Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium, and Shandong Taishan, as the host, welcomed the Qilu Derby with Qingdao Hainiu. This city battle not only attracted the attention of many fans, but also became an important battle to test the recent status and strength of the two teams.
In the first half, the match kicked off in a tense and intense atmosphere. Shandong Taishan was obviously eager to play at home, and with the advantage of their home ground, they quickly started their attack. In the 15th minute, Shandong Taishan broke the deadlock on the field, Li Yuanyi took a pass from a teammate in front of the penalty area and shot the ball decisively into the net, giving Taishan the first goal. However, Li Yuanyi did not celebrate too much after the goal, but apologized to the fans in the stands, a move that triggered deep thoughts and heated debates among the audience, and seemed to imply that the team has been under a certain amount of pressure internally or personally in the recent past.
Qingdao Sea Cowboys didn't get discouraged by the deficit, they quickly adjusted their tactics and strengthened their pressing and counter-attacking efforts in front of the field. In the 30th minute, Qingdao Hainiu's efforts were finally rewarded when Kazaishvili sent a precise pass from the side road, and Diego seized the opportunity to equalize the score with a shot from inside the penalty area. The goal not only boosted the morale of Qingdao Sea Bulls, but also brought the game back to the same starting line.
In the second half, the two sides changed sides and played again, and the pace of the game remained tight. Shandong Taishan team tried to change the situation on the field through substitutions, however, surprisingly, when Delgado was replaced, he did not stay on the sidelines to watch the game like other players, but returned directly to the locker room. This action once again aroused the attention and speculation of the audience, but the specific reasons were not officially revealed after the game.
As the game progressed, both players tried their best, but neither team was able to rewrite the score. Finally, with the referee's whistle, Shandong Taishan and Qingdao Hainiu shook hands with a score of 1-1. The draw was a heavy blow to Shandong Taishan, who had not won for 5 consecutive rounds of league matches and slipped to 5th place in the table. Qingdao Sea Cowboys, on the other hand, stayed at the 10th place in the table with the draw, continuing their solid and improving season.
After the game, players from both teams greeted each other on the field, showing good sportsmanship. For Shandong Taishan, they need to adjust their form as soon as possible to get back the feeling of winning in order to cope with the next tougher challenges. For Qingdao Sea Cowboys, the draw has undoubtedly increased their confidence, and they will continue to work hard and strive for higher goals.
