With Shanghai Shenhua’s 2-0 victory over Seoul, they climbed to fifth place, and the latest AFC Champions League standings are out: the Chinese Super League champion is at the bottom!

On October 22nd Beijing time, the third round of the AFC Champions League group stage began, and a highlight match just ended with Shanghai Shenhua hosting the formidable Korean side Seoul. After a hard-fought 90 minutes, Shenhua, deploying their full main squad, achieved a neat 2-0 victory over Seoul, earning their first win of the new season at last. Consequently, the updated standings show Ulsan undefeated in three rounds at the top, Shenhua breaking into the top five with their first win, Chengdu in tenth place, and the Chinese Super League champions Shanghai Port embarrassingly stuck at the bottom with no wins in three matches!

Shanghai Shenhua faced Seoul. Shenhua had failed to win in their first two rounds, while Seoul came in unbeaten after two matches. Shenhua was very well prepared, fielding their full-strength lineup with all hands on deck, aiming firmly for victory. Additionally, since Chengdu and Shanghai Port both lost in earlier matches this round, there was a strong desire for Shenhua to step up and defend the honor of the Chinese Super League!

Right after the match started, both sides quickly found their rhythm and launched into an attacking battle at a fast pace. Shenhua, using their full-strength squad, showed no signs of being outmatched against Seoul’s five foreign starters. However, neither team managed to score in the first half despite Shenhua creating several dangerous chances. In the second half, Shenhua gradually took control of the tempo, pushing forward to create opportunities, and soon the breakthrough came. Teixeira assisted Asue to open the scoring. Buoyed by the goal, Shenhua played with great momentum, patiently waiting for more chances. Their goalkeeper made heroic saves to withstand Seoul’s furious attacks. In the final moments, Manafa crossed from the baseline to assist Andre Luis, who scored to extend the lead. The match ended with a surprising 2-0 upset as Shenhua handed Seoul their first defeat!

Congratulations to Shenhua on their win, securing their first AFC Champions League victory, a morale-boosting triumph that brought pride to the Chinese Super League and left Chengdu and Shanghai Port feeling embarrassed. Currently, among the three Chinese Super League teams, Chengdu and Shenhua have each won at least one match, while Shanghai Port’s performance is very disappointing—they have yet to win a game despite being the league champions and this season’s frontrunner. Notably, Shanghai Port is also the only one among the 12 AFC Champions League teams without a victory!

Written by / Sports Novel

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