Written by Zuo Rui On the evening of the 5th, a fierce battle unfolded in Shanghai, with Zhejiang Club Greentown losing 2-3 to Shanghai Shenhua. Mitrice assisted Wang Yudong to pull one back, and Tolic came off the bench to level the score, but a penalty conceded by Lucas ultimately dashed their hopes. After this thrilling contest, head coach Ross Aloisi expressed his wish that this never-give-up courage would last until the end of the season.

Wu Xi created two goals to take the lead

Before this match, Zhejiang Greentown first lost a cup game in Xi’an and then fell to Qingdao West Coast away in the league. Ross admitted ahead of the game, "This week has been relatively tough for us. We’ve particularly emphasized greater positivity in tactics, mental attitude, and movement." The Australian recalled the exciting 1-1 draw with Shenhua at home in the second round, hoping for a similarly thrilling performance on the road.

In this match, Zhejiang Greentown started with three foreign players in a 5-3-2 formation, with Mitrice and Lucas positioned at the front and back. World Cup "solitary hero" Park Jin-sub returned to the lineup, shifting his position backward. Wang Yudong and Fang Hao played as dual strikers, with Cheng Jin, Qian Jiegei, and Mitrice forming the midfield trio, while Lucas, Park Jin-sub, and Liu Haofan made up the three-man defense. Tong Lei and Zhang Aihui took on the roles of left and right wing-backs respectively.

In terms of lineup, Ross’s intent to solidify the defense while waiting for counterattack opportunities was evident—this being Zhejiang’s rare revival of a three-center-back tactic this season. However, the away team’s seemingly conservative formation harbored ambition. Just three minutes into the match, Fang Hao drove down the right flank into the penalty area, nearly breaking through the hosts’ goal. Eight minutes later, captain Cheng Jin feigned a shot outside the box to shake off a defender, curled a left-footed strike, and the ball hit the crossbar.

In the 19th minute, Shenhua captain Wu Xi, facing a tight away defense, received an assist from Asue and fired a powerful shot from inside the edge of the penalty area. The ball cut through the defensive line and nestled into the net, with goalkeeper Zhao Bo unable to react due to obstructed vision. The hosts took a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, Mitrice launched a swift counterattack, and the Romanian’s shot precisely found the bottom-right corner of the goal, but VAR ruled a handball in the buildup, disallowing the goal.

After the second half began, Ross, full of confidence, made no personnel changes. In the 51st minute, Wu Xi scored his second goal, putting Shenhua up by two. At Shenhua’s home ground, a two-goal deficit almost spells certain defeat. Many visiting teams would typically conserve their strength and avoid futile resistance. But Zhejiang instinctively made a different choice.

Qian Jiegei lamented "a pity" three times

Before the hour mark, Ross substituted Fang Hao and Tong Lei simultaneously, bringing on Sun Guowen and Xu Junchi to improve the wing play. Despite repeated failed attacks, Zhejiang did not despair. In the 66th minute, Mitrice delivered a back-pass, Wang Yudong received the ball, feinted a direct shot to deceive Shenhua’s defender, and unleashed a powerful strike with his weaker foot into the net. Zhejiang’s relentless offensive finally paid off, making it 1-2.

Though still trailing by one goal, Zhejiang remained highly motivated. In the 69th minute, Wu Wei replaced Cheng Jin. Ten minutes later, substitute Tolic chipped the ball into the small penalty area. Lucas, now wearing the captain’s armband, charged toward the goal. Although he didn’t touch the ball, Shenhua goalkeeper Xue Qinghao was distracted, and despite getting a hand on it, failed to prevent the away team from equalizing. 2-2!

In the 84th minute, Lucas’s aggressive tackle in his own penalty area was deemed a foul, resulting in a penalty. Shenhua’s foreign player Latang converted it into the net. The score swung back in Shenhua’s favor, 3-2. Having leveled the score twice, Zhejiang ultimately had to accept defeat in Shanghai. After the match, Qian Jiegei, who had fought for over 70 minutes, said "a pity" three times in an interview. He felt that the first two goals conceded were "a bit of a pity," the penalty call was "also a pity," and the final outcome was "a huge pity."

In the post-match press conference, Ross expressed great satisfaction with the game’s process but deep regret over the scoreline. "Every match at Shenhua’s home is extremely challenging. We controlled much of the game today and created plenty of chances," he said. He noted that Shenhua’s goalkeeper made several crucial saves and hoped his team would maintain such courage and fighting spirit in upcoming matches.

When summarizing shortcomings, Ross pointed out that the three goals conceded came from a set piece, a long pass, and a penalty. However, he believed that Zhejiang’s first-half performance was not just defensive but also proactive in attack. That was why he didn’t make substitutions at halftime, instead telling the players to keep competing in that way, "I trust we can cause damage to the opponent."

This Saturday, Zhejiang will host Qingdao Hainiu at the Yellow Dragon Sports Center. The opponents have been strong since the break, first defeating Yunnan Yukun and then drawing with Chengdu Rongcheng. It’s foreseeable that Ross’s team will face difficulty in bouncing back to victory at home, and the key to success lies in his confidence and the team’s courage.