Just pushing Guoan to the brink, Xihai Coast managed to snatch a second point against Shanghai Port.

Reporter Chen Yong reports. No one expected that Qingdao Xihai Coast, who had just fought for 120 minutes in the FA Cup on the 22nd, would still have the energy to hold off Shanghai Port away. However, Qingdao Xihai Coast did not give up. On the 26th, facing Shanghai Port, they fell behind twice and equalized twice, even having a chance to win at the last moment. Ultimately, they drew 2-2 against Shanghai Port. After four consecutive league victories, Shanghai Port's momentum was halted by Xihai Coast.

In the FA Cup quarter-final on the 22nd, Qingdao Xihai Coast drew 1-1 with Beijing Guoan in regular time. Both teams scored again in extra time, leading to a penalty shootout after a 2-2 tie, where Beijing Guoan ultimately emerged victorious. Although they missed out on the FA Cup semifinals, Qingdao Xihai Coast's impressive performance left a strong impression.

After just three days of rest, Qingdao Xihai Coast faced Shanghai Port away. In this match, Nelson Luis did not start, and Xihai Coast fielded four foreign players and four young players, including 20-year-old left-back Yang Xi, 21-year-old goalkeeper Li Hao, 21-year-old right midfielder Mutalip, and right-back He Longhai, who is under 24.

The match was full of ups and downs: just after the start, Leonardo from Shanghai Port scored a goal, but it was ruled offside; then, he took a penalty that hit the post, and his follow-up shot was disallowed according to the rules. It wasn't until the 11th minute of first-half stoppage time that Leonardo broke the deadlock. In the 60th minute of the second half, substitute Nelson Luis equalized with a shot that deflected, affecting Yan Junling's judgment. Just two minutes later, Shanghai Port scored again from a penalty kick. In the 86th minute, Gaudi scored to level the match. In the final moments, both sides had chances to win, but neither could capitalize, resulting in a 2-2 draw.

Qingdao Xihai Coast's strong performance in this match left a deep impression. The key statistics showed a close contest, with Xihai Coast having 11 shots to 14 and 3 on target to 4. Throughout the match, Xihai Coast made some mistakes, including defensive errors leading to goals, but the team fought hard to secure a point.

“I just congratulated my players in the locker room; it was very, very difficult! Because we faced one of the strongest teams in the league, with the best attacking style, and we gave it our all,” said coach Shao Jia Yi after the match. He also praised Shanghai Port's coach Muscat highly: “I learned a lot from their coach Muscat. Although we didn't really communicate, I saw and learned a lot through these matches. I'm grateful for such an excellent coach to come here to coach, allowing us Chinese coaches to benefit!”

So far this season, Qingdao Xihai Coast has drawn against Shanghai Port in both encounters: in the third round of the Super League, they drew 3-3 at home against Shanghai Port. In that match, Xihai Coast's aggressive pressing made Shanghai Port very uncomfortable, quickly turning Shao Jia Yi and his team into a dark horse that fans were paying attention to.

Up to this point in the season, besides the two draws against Shanghai Port, Qingdao Xihai Coast also drew 1-1 away against Chengdu Rongcheng. Their two league matches and the FA Cup match against Beijing Guoan were particularly noteworthy. In the league away match against Beijing Guoan, Qingdao Xihai Coast's strong defense managed to limit Guoan's shots to just six, and the goal conceded was quite unexpected: Beijing Guoan hit the post, and the rebound unfortunately struck goalkeeper Li Hao and went into the net.

This season, Qingdao Xihai Coast still has several challenging matches ahead, including home games against Beijing Guoan, away games against Shandong Taishan, and home games against Shanghai Shenhua and Chengdu Rongcheng. It remains to be seen what kind of results Shao Jia Yi and his team will deliver.