Thread Content
Returning to the AFC Champions League after 6 years, Shanghai Shenhua was like a bird in captivity that was shot down before it could take off. They had hoped to soar high in the qualifying rounds, but lost the first goal within just 2 minutes of kickoff; ultimately, they were defeated 0-2 by the visiting Brisbane Roar and failed to advance to the group stage of the AFC Champions League, thus bringing an end to their 7th attempt at competing in this tournament. With Shanghai Shenhua’s defeat, the record of all Chinese Super League teams advancing to the AFC Champions League qualifiers came to an end, and Shenhua became the first Chinese Super League team to be eliminated in those qualifiers. After securing a spot in the AFC Champions League qualifiers at the end of last season, Shanghai Shenhua underwent significant changes, including a new manager and improvements to the squad. The arrival of the formidable Tevez further enhanced the team’s attacking power. Playing at their home stadium, the Hongkou Stadium, against the A-League side Brisbane Roar, Shenhua was determined to win. However, less than 2 minutes into the match, the Lions roared team doused the ambitions of Shenhua with a stunning strike from above. Struck by this setback, Shenhua’s defense became careless, allowing them to concede another goal; Martins missed several excellent scoring opportunities, while the debutant Tevez also failed to find his form. In the end, Shenhua had to start their new season with a loss. It is worth noting that Shenhua has faced the A-League team Sydney FC on four occasions in AFC Champions League history, but achieved an embarrassing record of 2 draws and 2 losses, scoring 4 goals while conceding 6. All of these encounters ended in defeats at home. With another loss to Brisbane Roar, Shenhua continues to uphold its unfortunate record of failing to win against A-League teams in the AFC Champions League. However, Shenhua set more than just one embarrassing record in this match; it also broke the record of all Chinese Super League teams advancing through the AFC Champions League qualifying rounds. Since the restructuring of the AFC Champions League in 2003, five teams from the Chinese Super League (Shenhua, Guoan, Shanghai SIPG, Luneng, and Fulham) participated in the qualifying rounds on seven occasions, with all of them managing to advance to the main stage of the competition. At the same time, Shenhua is also the only Super League team to lose in the AFC Champions League qualifiers. As early as in the 2003 qualifiers, Shenhua was defeated 1-3 away by the Indonesian team Pusamania Borneo FC; however, those qualifiers used a home-and-away format, and Shenhua managed to win 5-1 at home, advancing on a total score of 6-4. Yet that away loss by Shenhua remained the only defeat for a Super League team in the AFC Champions League qualifiers since the reform of the competition in 2003 until the 2016 season. But today, Shenhua changed this record by becoming the first Super League team to be eliminated in the AFC Champions League qualifiers. Undoubtedly, Shanghai Shenhua had a hellish start to the 2017 season; even with Tevez, the team’s strongest foreign player, Bojat’s side failed to impress the fans. But whatever the outcome, a new season has begun for Shenhua. Although they will not be able to continue their quest for a seventh AFC Champions League title, they still have a long league campaign ahead of them. What Shenhua needs to do is to reflect on their mistakes, overcome the shadow of these losses, and prepare well for the upcoming league matches