Shanghai Shenhua were held to a goalless draw away to Cambodian side Svay Rieng in the AFC Champions League Two group stage on Thursday, 15 October 2026. Manager Milojević set his side up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, but they struggled to create clear chances despite seeing more of the ball.
Shenhua managed 41% possession and registered seven shots, with only two on target. Their expected goals figure of 0.31 showed the lack of cutting edge in the final third. At the other end, goalkeeper Ma Zhen was called into action five times to preserve the clean sheet.
The match saw a flurry of early changes from the visitors. Xie Pengfei replaced the injured Luís Asué in the 12th minute. Top scorer Rafael Ratão, who has 18 goals this season, was introduced in the 38th minute for Liu Chengyu in an attempt to spark the attack. Further substitutions followed in the second half, with João Teixeira and Wilson Manafá entering the fray. However, Shenhua's build-up play remained laboured, and defenders Jin Shunkai and Manafá were booked in the 63rd and 83rd minutes respectively.
The result extends a patchy run of form for Shenhua, who have now won just once in their last five matches across all competitions (DLDLW). Attention now swiftly turns back to the Chinese Super League, with an away trip to face Wuhan Three Towns coming up this Sunday. The team must quickly address their attacking shortcomings as they prepare for a busy period of fixtures.
