Shanghai Shenhua drops lead with one game to go in Chinese Super League

Sluggish offensive performance leads to a draw as SIPG play catch-up

Shanghai Shenhua missed a huge opportunity to win the Chinese Super League (CSL) after they drew 1-1 with Shandong Taishan on Friday, November 4, 2022. This allowed Shandong Taishan to leapfrog them in the standings with one game remaining in the season.

Shenhua took the lead through Christian Bassogog in the first half, but Shandong Taishan fought back to level the game in the second half through a goal from Liu Binbin.

With the draw, Shanghai Shenhua dropped to second place in the standings, one point behind Shandong Taishan. They will now need to win their final game of the season against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and hope that Shandong Taishan loses its final game against Shenzhen FC.

Sluggish Shenhua offense costs them the lead

Shanghai Shenhua entered the game as the favorites, but they failed to live up to expectations. Their offense was sluggish and uninspired, and they struggled to create any real scoring opportunities throughout the first half.

Shandong Taishan, meanwhile, were much more aggressive going forward. They put several good chances together in the first half, but they were unable to find the final touch to open the scoring.

The second half was more of the same, with Shenhua failing to create any real threats. They did finally start to show some life in the final few minutes of the game with the help of substitute striker Edinson Cavani but it was too little too late.

Shandong scores on one of few chances late

Shandong Taishan took the lead in the 75th minute when Liu Binbin converted a penalty after Zhu Chenjie was harshly adjudged to have fouled Ji Xiang.

Shenhua pushed for an equalizer in the final minutes of the game, but they were unable to find it as Shandong Taishan held on for the crucial victory.

Title race goes down to the final day

The draw means that the Chinese Super League title race will go down to the final day of the season. Shandong Taishan will host Shenzhen FC, while Shanghai Shenhua will travel to Tianjin to face Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.

Shandong Taishan will need to win their game and hope that Shanghai Shenhua loses its game in order to win the title. Shanghai Shenhua, meanwhile, will need to win their game and hope that Shandong Taishan loses or draws its game in order to win the title.