4 – 1
“Yihao Zhong capitalised on a corner routine to give Henan the lead just five minutes in, stunning the home crowd at Hongkou Stadium and immediately putting Shenhua on the back foot.”
Pivotal“Rafael Ratão equalised on the stroke of halftime to level matters at 1-1, cancelling out Henan's lead at the worst possible moment for the visitors and transforming the complexion of the match heading into the break.”
Pivotal“Luis Asué put Shenhua ahead for the first time with a composed left-footed finish just eleven minutes into the second half, completing the turnaround after a second half that had already seen Henan test Shenhua's defence with blocked efforts.”
Pivotal“Substitute Tianyi Gao scored within three minutes of coming on, with Xie Pengfei providing the assist, to put Shenhua 3-1 up and effectively end the contest as a competitive fixture.”
Pivotal“Another substitute, Saulo Mineiro, added a fourth goal nine minutes after coming on to round off a ruthless second-half performance from Shenhua and put a gloss on the scoreline that reflected how completely the hosts dominated after the break.”
Shanghai Shenhua
Henan Songshan Longmen
Outstanding performance
Shanghai Shenhua•MidfielderShanghai Shenhua came from behind to dismantle Henan Songshan Longmen 4-1, a result that flatters the hosts given how much of the match Henan controlled on the ball. Longmen dominated possession at 60 percent, registered more dangerous attacks (54 to 36), and even created one more big chance than Shenhua managed in the first half, yet their inability to convert opportunities proved fatal. Yihao Zhong's fifth-minute opener, set up from a corner routine, gave the visitors an early foothold, and for long stretches they looked the more threatening side. But Rafael Ratão's equaliser on the stroke of halftime was the pivotal moment — it erased Henan's lead at the worst possible time and swung the psychological momentum emphatically toward Shenhua. The second half belonged entirely to the home side: Luis Asué struck a composed left-footed finish to make it 2-1 within eleven minutes of the restart, and a flurry of substitutions paid off immediately as Tianyi Gao and Saulo Mineiro both scored within minutes of coming on, sealing a convincing win that moves Shenhua clear of the relegation picture while leaving Henan, already in deep trouble at 18th in the table, with serious questions about their ability to convert pressure into points.
How entertaining was this match?
On comes Zheng Dalun, off goes Oliver Gerbig.
assist: Pengfei Xie
Goal! Rafael Rogerio da Silva scores for Rafael Ratao, making it 3-1 with an assist from Xie PengFei.
Gao Tianyi comes on for Luis Miguel Nlavo Asue.
On Xie PengFei, off Xu Haoyang.
Joao Carlos Teixeira takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Goal! Rafael Rogerio da Silva scores for Rafael Ratao, making it 3-1, assisted by Xie PengFei.
Rafael Rogerio da Silva takes a shot, but Rafael Ratao's header is saved.
On Yang Zexiang, off Chan Shinichi.
On Yang Zexiang, off Chan Shinichi.
assist: Rafael Ratão
Luis Miguel Nlavo Asue scores with a left-footed shot.
Rafael Rogerio da Silva takes a shot, but Rafael Ratao blocks it with his right foot.
Rafael Rogerio da Silva takes a shot, but Rafael Ratao blocks it with his right foot.
Luis Miguel Nlavo Asue takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Shot by Rafael Rogerio da Silva, and Rafael Ratao scores with a left-footed shot.
Shot by Rafael Rogerio da Silva, and Rafael Ratao scores with a right-footed shot.
First half ends with the score tied at 1-1.
assist: João Carlos Teixeira
Goal! The score is now 1-1.
Wang Shangyuan receives a yellow card.
Bruno Nazario takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Corner awarded.
Corner kick awarded.
Shot - Wu Xi Head Shot Missed
Li Songyi takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Chan Shinichi takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Gustavo Henrique da Silva Sousa takes a left-footed shot, but it is saved.
Wu Xi takes a right-footed shot, but it misses the target.
Wu Xi takes a right-footed shot, but it misses the target.
Corner awarded.
Yihao ZhongShot! Yihao Zhong scores with a left-footed shot.
Pedro Henryque Pereira dos Santos takes a right-footed shot, but it is saved.
Goal! Yihao Zhong scores, making it 1-0.
Corner awarded.
Kick-off! The referee is Liang Songshang.
Shanghai Shenhua host Henan Songshan Longmen at Shanghai Stadium on Saturday in a tightly contested mid-table Super League clash. Separated by just one point and one position in the standings, both sides are desperate for the three points to pull clear of the lower reaches. With both teams arriving off clean-sheet results last weekend, goals may be at a premium — but pride and points are very much on the line.
