On the evening of April 5, Beijing time, in the 4th round of the 2024 Chinese Super League, Shandong Taishan, who was fighting away, defeated Qingdao Manatee 1-0 with Delgado's substitute stunner and won the Qilu derby again. In this game, the Taishan team did not play well, if it were not for Delgado's fatal blow in stoppage time, Taishan would have suffered 3 rounds of winless league games.
Cressan is both a father and a mother
In this game, the Taishan team continued to suffer from personnel incompleteness: Li Yuanyi, Liu Binbin, Shi Ke, and Wang Tong continued to be absent due to injury, Judson, who had not been well, did not come to Qingdao with the team, and goalkeeper Wang Dalei also joined the injury list. In addition, Ko Zhunyi continues to be suspended. The only good news is that Fernando is back from the ban. Fortunately, the opponent Manatee also suffered injuries, and the two midfielders Saric and Diego Lopes were unable to play for 2 consecutive games, especially the absence of the core of the midfield, Saric directly lowered the Manatees by more than one notch at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends.
In terms of the starting line-up, both sides sent three foreign players. The three foreign players in the attacking line of the Tarzan team: Cressan, Kazaishvili and Pato played together. Originally, it was hoped that the three of them would be able to break through the defense line of the "deputy squad leader" Manatee as soon as possible. However, it backfired, and only Cressan was the only one of the three who was not only positive but also effective. But Cressan alone is not enough. And due to the lack of control in the midfield of Taishan, Cressan also had to retreat frequently to get the ball. Not only that, but on the defensive end, Cressan has also repeatedly returned to help with Kanggua. Cressan, who is known for his attacking strength, has put more energy into midfield organization and defence, and the threat to the goal will naturally decrease.
Fernando was whistled for a foul on the goal
Pato, who played alongside Cressan, was aggressive but not effective in attack, while Kazaishvili was not a threat enough to keep the goal in place, and even spent a lot of time in a state of "stealth". Only the naturalized player Fernando performed normally and was able to use his speed and technique to get opportunities, but Wu Xinghan, who partnered him on the right side of this game, did not give Fernando strong support. Wu Xinghan played as a right wing-back in this campaign, and Choi Kang-hee's purpose was very clear, using his speed to defend Kanggua's speed. Wu Xinghan, who is good at attacking, completed the defensive task well, but this made his offense undisciplined, and the support for Fernando was not enough.
Even so, though, Fernando took his chances and scored a goal in the first half. However, when Pato won the ball this time, Pato kicked down Kanggua on the wing and fouled first, so the goal was disallowed. Perhaps affected by this decision, Fernando's performance on the field gradually became dull.
Delgado kept Tarzan in the top eight
As the second half of the game progressed, the Manatees, who had failed in the first three rounds, had some chances on the offensive end. Fortunately, the Taishan team has a deep bench, and Delgado, the "Jinan guy" who appeared as a foreign aid, came off the bench at the last moment. He was extremely confident after coming on and had more balls up front, although Choi Kang-hee expressed his displeasure with him once being too sticky in the box. However, Delgado repaid Choi's trust in bringing him on the field. In the first minute of stoppage time, he scored the winner in front of goal.
Delgado's goal was very important for the Tarzan team. If only 1 point is scored in this campaign, the Taishan team is likely to fall out of the top eight after this round of games. In the end, the 1-0 won allowed the Taishan team to temporarily retain the top eight position, and at least kept them from being too far away from the championship group.
Taishan scored for the first time in the last four games
The Taishan team has been fighting on two fronts before, the previous 3 games, an AFC Champions League away game with Yokohama Mariners, two Chinese Super League games with old rivals Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua, Taishan not only 3 games without a win, but these 3 games they are in the offensive end of the grain. If the previous 3 opponents were strong, then if the Manatees who faced 0 goals and lost 3 in a row today still can't score goals, it will be a very big blow to the attacking line of the Taishan team.
In the end, Delgado came off the bench to help Taishan score the first goal in the last four games and also got the first victory in the last four games. Being able to stumble up and win in such a difficult time is a great boost to the team's morale, and it is also the foundation of a strong team.