Shanghai Shenhua kicked off their AFC Champions League Two group stage campaign with a 2-1 home victory over Singapore's Tampines Rovers on September 17. The win marked head coach Milosevic's first home triumph since taking charge of the club.
With Wu Xi, Zhu Chenjie, and Yang Haoyu away on Asian Games duty and several first-team players injured, Shenhua were forced to field a depleted lineup. Youngster Xu Haoyang opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a powerful strike from outside the box. Tampines Rovers equalized through Ramli in the 33rd minute via a deflected effort.
Gao Tianyi provided the decisive moment in the 62nd minute, delivering a pinpoint cross for Yang Shuai to head home the winner. Gao was named Man of the Match for his influential display. After the game, he said, "I'm very happy we could win at home today. We are full of anticipation for the rest of the AFC Champions League Two journey."
Head coach Milosevic expressed satisfaction with his team's performance. "This was a high-quality continental match, every opponent in the AFC Champions League has considerable strength." he stated.
The result leaves Shenhua with three wins and two losses from their last five matches across all competitions. The team's next fixture is a friendly at home against Russian Premier League side Zenit Saint Petersburg on September 27, as they look to build confidence and refine tactical details. Fans can check the upcoming fixtures and view the latest squad information.
First reported at 手机新浪网
