The Chinese Super League ushered in the AFC Champions League challenge in the New Year of the Dragon, and Shandong Taishan team fought fiercely against Kawasaki Frontale at home. Despite a lackluster J-League performance last season, Kawasaki Frontale showed good quality in the AFC Champions League group stage. The Tarzan team faced a lot of tests. The result was not satisfactory, and the Tarzan team lost 2-3 at home.
In this game, Cui Kangxi sent Kazaishvili, Cressan, and Judson three foreign aid starters, Wu Xinghan started after returning to Taishan, new recruit Peng Xinli also appeared in the back position, and Gao Zhunyi also made his debut. On the Kawasaki Frontale side, three foreign players and one Asian foreign leader are in the field. Judging from the lineups of both sides, the strength of Taishan's foreign aid is slightly better, but the strength of local players is slightly inferior.
In the 23rd minute of the game, the Taishan team made a fatal mistake, Wang Dalei made a mistake when serving, Wu Xinghan made a mistake in stopping the ball, stopped the ball nearly 40 meters, and went directly out of the bottom line. Kawasaki Frontale took advantage of the corner kick to create a penalty and the opponent converted the penalty to take the lead. In the 33rd minute, Kawasaki Frontale crossed diagonally to the back point, and Marsinho scored with a header, and the Taishan team fell behind 0-2. In the second half, the Taishan team began to intensify their attack on Kawasaki Frontale, and in the 67th minute, Fernando scored with a low shot from near the penalty line. In the 79th minute, there was a hole in the Taishan team's defense, and after the Kawasaki Frontale goalkeeper kicked off, Yamada Shin directly assisted Akihiro Grandi, who burst into the penalty area and scored a goal. In the 86th minute, Judson scored another goal, but in the end the Taishan team still lost 2-3.
In this game, although the Taishan team tried their best, the problem was also obvious. Wu Xinghan and Chen Pu in the forward line performed poorly, and although Fernando turned the situation around after coming on the field, the team's attack was affected by injuries. The back line is even more collective mistakes, and no matter how hard the line tries to get back the score, it can't cover up the problems of the defensive line.
Wu Xinghan's state has attracted widespread attention, he had a mediocre performance in the Central League last season, and he started under the pressure of **, but he showed the level of an amateur player. Pato's performance also fell short of other foreign players, raising questions about why Choi Kang-hee chose to keep him over Leonardo. The other players are in mediocre form, but the New Year's Eve is not an excuse. The J-League teams, which were also affected by the New Year's Eve format, showed good strength in this game.
Counting this game, the Taishan team has lost to J-League teams in the AFC Champions League six times in a row. In the next game, the Taishan team will take on Kawasaki Frontale away, and although there is little hope, they still need to give it their all.