CHINA TOPIX

12/22/2024 09:25:42 pm

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Chinese Super League News: Henan Jianye hands Shandong Luneng second straight winless game with 2-1 victory

Henan Jianye striker Javier Patiño

(Photo : Getty Images) Henan Jianye FC defeated Shandong Luneng Taishan FC, 2-1, in a 2016 Chinese Super League season encounter at the Zhengzhou Hanghai Stadium last Sunday.

Rising team Henan Jianye FC defeated Champions League disappointments Shandong Luneng Taishan FC, 2-1, in a 2016 Chinese Super League season encounter at the Zhengzhou Hanghai Stadium last Sunday.

Shandong Luneng head coach Felix Magath seemed experimenting during the match as he opted to start Papiss Cissé as his central attacker in place of regular starter Graziano Pellè.

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The change immediately paid dividends as the Senegalese striker netted the opening goal at the 10th minute after he directed defender Zhao Mingjian's assist toward the net of Henan goalkeeper Wu Yan, as per Soccerway.

Shandong was actually able to keep the one-point lead for most of the game, but head coach Jia Xiuquan's side suddenly let loose two goals in the last nine minutes of the match to pull off the come-from-behind victory.

Henan's Swedish forward Osman Sow scored one at the 81st minute from a pass by defender Ablet Abduwali to equalize the match before Filipino striker Javier Patiño netted the winning goal right at the stroke of full time with the assist this time coming from local forward Chen Hao, via Sofa Score.

The win was the Red Devils' second in their last three assignments. It pushed them to the sixth place of the current China top flight table with 34 points, up from one spot last round.

Henan is comfortably 11 points above the bottom two relegation zone currently occupied by Changchun Yatai and Shijiazhuang Ever Bright, but they are also eight point behind the third and final AFC Champions League qualifying berth for next season. The third spot is presently held by Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.

Meanwhile, Shandong is still recuperating from their 2016 AFC Champions League quarterfinals elimination in the hands of K League Classic club FC Seoul as they lost on 4-2 aggregate after a 1-1 draw in their second leg match at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Wednesday last week.

In the CSL, Taishan Dui has been winless in four of their last six games, settling them at 12th place in the overall standings with 27 points and only five games left in the season.

The squad is also being linked to rumors that Italian striker Pellè is "unhappy" with all the losing at the moment and may seek to be transferred at the end of the season.

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