As the battle raged on, Shandong Taishan launched a sharp counterattack in the 75th minute after a change of sides. Liao Lisheng's precise pass, Kazayishvili exploded like a cheetah in the penalty area and shot a close-range shot to equalize the score for Shandong again. The match climaxed in the 88th minute, when Liao Lixiang and Kazayishvili once again showed a divine understanding, and Kazayishvili extended the score to 3-1 with a skillful pick of the ball, and Shandong Taishan firmly grasped the initiative to advance.
Shanghai Shenhua, who came out later, was no slouch either. Hosting South Korean powerhouse Pohang Ironman, the first half was a back-and-forth affair, with neither side making any progress. At the start of the second half, Pohang Ironman's low shot set the score at 1-0, but it didn't last long as Shanghai Shenhua quickly adjusted, and in the 64th minute, Fernando sent a precise pass from the baseline, and Luis jumped up high in the middle of the field to score a header, equalizing the score at 1-1.
7 minutes later, Shenhua launched another attack, the tactical setup was the same. Yang Zexiang cleverly received the ball, Malelai header, the score instantly reversed to 2-1! In the 79th minute, Shenhua in the opponent's penalty area to create a handball foul, the penalty kick, Malelai cue, to extend the difference to two goals. At the end of the game, substitute Gao Tianyi scored another goal to make the score 4-1. Shanghai Shenhua finally beat Pohang Ironmen 4-1 and won again at home in the AFC Champions League after 15 years.
The victories of Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua were a shot in the arm for Chinese soccer during the downturn. Their excellent performances proved that Chinese soccer is not insignificant and that our clubs are still competitive in Asia!
