Chapter 35: The Battle for the Top Spot

On September 12, the 25th round of the 2015 Chinese Super League ushered in the "battle of the kings"—Guangzhou Evergrande away against Shanghai SIPG.

After 24 rounds, SIPG, sitting second on the league table, trailed Evergrande by seven points. With only five rounds remaining, the outcome of this match would largely determine the fate of this season’s championship. If Evergrande won, the gap would widen to ten points; even if the teams drew, Evergrande would maintain a seven-point lead—almost enough to declare their successful title defense in advance. If SIPG secured victory, the gap would shrink to four points, and the suspense of the championship could very well persist until the final round. Evergrande would certainly dislike such a scenario, as fierce competition on two fronts could directly affect their AFC Champions League campaign.

It's worth noting that in the previous two World Cup qualifiers, Evergrande had six international players on the pitch, whereas SIPG only had Wu Lei playing, giving SIPG a clear advantage in terms of physical condition.

In their previous five encounters, Evergrande remained undefeated with three wins and two draws. Earlier this season, the two sides drew at Tianhe Stadium.

SIPG fielded their strongest lineup for this match, with foreign forwards Elkeson and Gyan leading the attack, and Conca orchestrating in midfield against his former club. Evergrande, meanwhile, were without both their captain Zheng Zhi and vice-captain Gao Lin due to suspension, but Elkeson returned from injury to start.

Starting lineups:

Evergrande:
Goalkeeper: Zeng Cheng
Defenders: Zhang Linpeng, Feng Xiaoting, Kim Young-gwon, Zou Zheng
Defensive midfielders: Paulinho, Huang Bowen
Midfielders: Zheng Long, Goulart, Dai Zhiwei
Forward: Elkeson

Shanghai SIPG (4-4-2):
1 Yan Junling; 4 Wang Shenchao, 27 Shi Ke, 3 Kim Ju-young, 32 Sun Xiang (C); 7 Wu Lei (71' 21 Yu Hai), 6 Cai Huikang (85' 33 Yang Boyu), 10 Conca, 11 Lü Wenjun; 9 Heisen, 35 Gyan (18' 8 Davi)

SIPG starting lineup:
Goalkeeper: Yan Junling
Defenders: Wang Yanchao, Shi Ke, Kim Ju-young, Sun Xiang
Midfielders: Wu Lei, Cai Huikang, Conca, Lü Wenjun
Forwards: Gyan, Heisen

Referee Ma Ning blew the whistle precisely on time, and SIPG, playing at home, kicked off first!

Heisen, in excellent form this season, played the ball back and handed it to SIPG’s “Magic Lamp” Conca. Conca, upon receiving the ball, launched a long pass from near the center circle to the right side of Evergrande's penalty area, where Gyan was already making his move forward.

Gyan deftly controlled the ball with his toe, feinted to shake off the pressing Huang Bowen, then cut inside and fired a shot!

The strike was powerful, and Evergrande’s goalkeeper Zeng Cheng was clearly not yet in the rhythm of the game. Luckily, Paulinho chased back in time, and his toe, after a sliding tackle, managed to deflect Gyan’s shot. The ball struck the outside of the post and bounced out for a corner, leaving Evergrande players and fans anxious.

Less than thirty seconds into the match, SIPG used the simplest of combinations to nearly breach Evergrande’s goal! Many Evergrande supporters in the stands hadn’t even warmed their seats before SIPG was awarded a corner kick!

At this point, the two commentators from Huaxia TV Sports Channel, Li Xin and Gou Wei, began introducing the lineups to viewers: “Good evening, everyone! You are now watching the live broadcast of the 25th round of the 2015 Chinese Super League, SIPG versus Evergrande. I am…”

“Oh! Dangerous—Gyan shoots!... The ball hit the post and didn’t go in. Looks like it’s a corner! SIPG took the initiative at the start and won a corner! Looking at the slow-motion replay, Evergrande’s defenders were clearly unfocused. Against a team like SIPG, any mistake can be fatal…”

Conca took the corner, and powerful headers like Kim Ju-young and Heisen were already stationed in Evergrande’s box. Both teams’ players tussled, arms pushing and grabbing, almost embracing each other in a tangle.

Conca sent the corner to the near post, where Heisen out-jumped Kim Young-gwon to get the first touch, flicking the ball with his head. Zeng Cheng stood helpless.

Fortunately, the ball grazed the crossbar and flew out for a goal kick!

Evergrande escaped danger once again!

In less than two minutes, SIPG had already produced two highly threatening shots; if not for the woodwork, the score might already be 0:2!

Cannavaro stood on the sideline, shouting loudly at the Evergrande players.

Cannavaro’s reminders proved effective. Only eighty seconds after Evergrande’s goal kick, Dai Zhiwei crossed from the right flank, Elkeson out-jumped Kim Ju-young for a header, and SIPG’s guardian Yan Junling came out to claim the high ball but fumbled.

Wang Yanchao’s subsequent clearance went straight up, gifting Evergrande a golden opportunity.

Dai Zhiwei, eyeing the vertical clearance, tried a bicycle kick, but Yan Junling reacted swiftly and, with the advantage of his arms, securely grabbed the ball.

Dai Zhiwei’s concern about kicking Yan Junling, and his effort to pull his leg back mid-air, won the home fans’ appreciation.

In the seventh minute, Wang Yanchao fouled Zheng Long on the flank, but Zheng’s free kick toward the near corner was cleared by Shi Ke.

Three minutes later, Wu Lei broke into the left side of the penalty area and crossed; SIPG players protested that the ball struck Zou Zheng’s hand as he blocked at the near post, but referee Ma Ning waved play on.

In the fourteenth minute, Huang Bowen crossed from the left, Elkeson's shot on the turn from fifteen yards was blocked by SIPG defenders, but then Wang Yanchao’s weak header back almost gifted Dai Zhiwei a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Fortunately, Yan Junling rushed out in time to clear.

In the twenty-first minute, tempers flared as Feng Xiaoting brought down Lü Wenjun with a sliding tackle in midfield. Players gathered, voices were raised, and the atmosphere of a top-of-the-table clash intensified.

In the thirty-sixth minute, SIPG had another golden chance to score. Conca’s free kick from the right was delivered into the box, and Kim Ju-young’s header from ten yards narrowly missed the left post.

In the fortieth minute, Evergrande enjoyed their best scoring opportunity of the first half. Zheng Long broke through Wang Yanchao on the left and crossed, Kim Ju-young headed clear, Goulart nodded on, and at the edge of the area, the ball landed at the feet of the otherwise quiet Dai Zhiwei.

“Am I Rondo here?” Dai Zhiwei realized SIPG’s players were tightly packed in their own penalty area, not pressing him at all, and muttered in frustration.

Everyone knows NBA’s Rondo, notorious for his weak three-point shooting, is often left open beyond the arc.

Similarly, Dai Zhiwei, whose long-range shooting was far less threatening than his dribbling, was being left open outside the penalty area.

He glanced at his teammates, searching for passing options, but none were ideal.

“They all think my shooting is rubbish. I refuse to believe I can't score from such a chance!” Though Dai Zhiwei knew his long-range efforts were average at best, with no one closing him down, he decided to go for it.

He gently nudged the ball sideways, set himself, and unleashed a powerful shot.

“Bang!”

The ball, struck with tremendous force, bent inward and shot out from Dai Zhiwei’s foot like a javelin toward SIPG’s goal.

Ah?

Got it!

That was Dai Zhiwei’s immediate feeling after the shot.

Though his long-range shooting was unreliable, sometimes he could produce moments of brilliance. After all, even Gao Lin occasionally scored wonder goals, but who would call him a consistently prolific striker?

This shot flew straight toward the top left corner, almost the theoretical dead angle of the goal!

SIPG’s guardian Yan Junling anticipated and, unbelievably, deflected the ball with his fingertips for a corner.

“Damn!” Dai Zhiwei shook his hand in frustration, unable to help but utter an international expletive. Luck had deserted him again!

Yan Junling was definitely “on something” today—this save marked at least the third time he had denied Evergrande a near-certain goal.

“When your shooting is off and you run into a keeper on a hot streak,” Dai Zhiwei sighed, “it’s like choking on water—just unlucky!”

Both teams bloomed but bore no fruit in the first half. Evergrande, the away side, had a slight advantage, but were stymied by SIPG’s keeper in top form.

“This is exactly what my beloved Manchester United has experienced these past few seasons,” Dai Zhiwei muttered as he left the pitch, “defense, midfield, attack all useless, relying on the keeper to save the day!”

Switching sides after the break, Dai Zhiwei noticed something unexpected.

“SIPG is backing off?” he mused. A 0:0 draw was perfectly acceptable to Evergrande, but for SIPG, it spelled slow death.

Indeed, SIPG began the second half by dropping deep, playing defensively as if a single point was their goal.

To attack, or not to attack? The choice lay before Cannavaro.

In the sixty-sixth minute, Cai Huikang broke up a pass from Zhang Linpeng to Dai Zhiwei, sending it out of bounds.

At that moment, Evergrande made their first substitution of the match.