Before this game, Shenhua's qualifying situation was more severe, and the injuries in the team were more serious. In the face of the powerful Kashima antlers, some media believe that Shenhua may take the initiative to give up this game. Judging from the arrangement, Wu Jingui sent some players who didn't usually play, which seems to confirm the media's point of view.
However, Shenhua performed well in the first half of this campaign and played perhaps the best half game of the new season. Not only did the score lead the opponent 2-0, but all statistics also led Kashima Antlers in an all-round way. It is not an exaggeration to describe an opponent with "hanging".
In the second half, Kashima Antlers launched a counterattack, while Shenhua played hard in the first half, with physical problems and passive scenes. In just five minutes, Suzuki Yumo and Leandro scored two goals for the visiting team, making the score 2-2. Shenhua's seemingly great lead vanished in an instant. These two goals may be avoidable under the condition of abundant physical fitness.
In the end, Shenhua lost a good game and was eliminated in advance. After this game, Shenhua has won a 15 winning streak in the AFC Champions League, with a record of 8 draws and 7 losses. Shenhua's last AFC Champions League title can be traced back to April 7, 2009, when it was the third round of AFC Champions League group stage. They beat Suwon Samsung 2-/kloc-0-0 at home in Hongkou.
It is not surprising that Shenhua became the first player to be eliminated from the Super League semi-finals. In terms of overall strength, Shenhua has a big gap with Evergrande and Shanghai, and multi-line operations are obviously not enough, and their group draw is not ideal.