Overcoming their "nemesis," Shenhua keeps a slim chance for the championship alive until the end

Special contributor/Gan Hui In the last two matches against Shenzhen New Pengcheng, Shenhua had one draw and one defeat. On October 31, during the second last round of the league, Shenhua hosted Shenzhen New Pengcheng again and managed to win 1-0 with a goal from Andre Luis, maintaining a slight chance to win the championship.

After the match, head coach Slutsky said, "It was not easy for the whole team to shake off the disappointment from the previous game today. Step by step, we worked hard to win the match. I appreciate the team’s effort today."

Over the past two seasons, Shenzhen New Pengcheng has been positioned in the middle to lower ranks of the league, yet this team has proven to be a "curse" for Shenhua. In the penultimate round of last season, Shenhua, who was leading the table, was held to a draw at home by Shenzhen New Pengcheng, ultimately missing out on the league title. In the first half of this season, Shenhua lost 3 points away to the same opponent.

Like in the previous round, Shenhua was the last of the top three title contenders to play. The earliest team to play, Shanghai Port, faced no issues and comfortably defeated Zhejiang 3-0. This meant that Shenhua had to beat Shenzhen New Pengcheng to keep their championship hopes alive.

Compared to the last match, the biggest change in Shenhua’s starting lineup was the goalkeeper switch. Bao Yaxiong replaced Xue Qinghao as the starter, with the latter not even making the match squad. Additionally, Dai Weijun, who suffered a serious injury during winter training, finally recovered and was included in the squad.

Under intense pressure, Shenhua was instead motivated to fight harder. Right at the start of the game, Teixeira delivered a high-quality diagonal cross, and Andre scored with a header.

In the end, Shenhua relied on that opening goal to secure a 1-0 victory over Shenzhen New Pengcheng. The goal scorer Luis said, "After winning this game, we still have a chance to win the title. The match was quite tense at the beginning. I don’t believe in luck; I believe in effort on the field, and this is the attitude we should have at home."

When asked after the match about the team’s quick start and whether there was any special preparation, Slutsky responded, "Actually, I didn’t give the players any special instructions before the game today. Everyone’s mindset fluctuates, and it mostly depends on personal adjustment. I’m glad the players managed to overcome the negative emotions and showed the fighting spirit expected of professional athletes."

However, throughout the match, Shenhua had 18 shots but only 4 on target, scoring just once, showing their finishing ability still needs improvement. Because Shenhua failed to extend their lead, Shenzhen New Pengcheng intensified their attack in the final stages. Fortunately, Shenhua’s defense held firm, and Bao Yaxiong blocked a high-quality set piece just before the final whistle, preserving the one-goal lead and keeping the championship hopes alive.

With this, Shenhua has completed all their home matches for the 2025 season, achieving 10 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss, accumulating 34 points, which is the best home record in the entire Chinese Super League. However, the only home defeat was regrettably against Shanghai Port.

In another match of this round, Chengdu Rongcheng lost at home to Henan, exiting the title race early. This means the championship will be decided between Shanghai Port and Shenhua this season. After 29 rounds, Shanghai Port leads with 63 points, while Shenhua is second with 61 points. In the final round, Shanghai Port will play away against Dalian Yifang, and Shenhua will face Tianjin Jinmen Tiger away. Since Shenhua is behind in head-to-head results, even if they win their match, Shanghai Port only needs a draw against Dalian Yifang to clinch the title.

After this round, the Chinese Super League will enter an approximately three-week break, with the last round scheduled for November 22. During the break, Shenhua will also have an AFC Champions League Elite match on November 5, playing away against Johor Darul Ta'zim from Malaysia.