Shanghai Shenhua kicked off their 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two campaign with a 2-1 home victory over Tampines Rovers on September 17. The win marked head coach Milosevic's first home success since taking charge.
Xu Haoyang opened the scoring for Shenhua in the 19th minute. Tampines forward Ramli equalised in the 33rd minute via a deflection. Gao Tianyi then provided the assist for Yang Shuai to net the winner in the 62nd minute, a contribution that earned Gao the man of the match award.
The match was played amid significant squad challenges for Shenhua. Key players Wu Xi, Zhu Chenjie and Yang Haoyu were away on Asian Games duty, while injuries further depleted the first-team options. Liu Chengyu, returning from a three-month absence, came on and forced saves with a shot in each half.
Milosevic praised his team's performance. “This was a high-quality continental match, and every opponent in the AFC Champions League is strong,” the coach said. “I am very satisfied with the players' performance today. Many young players got their chance, and I hope they can improve further in the future.”
Gao Tianyi expressed optimism after the game. “I'm very happy we could win at home today. We are full of anticipation for the upcoming ACL Two journey,” he said. “I hope we can achieve more victories once all the players are back.”
The result leaves Shenhua with three wins and two losses from their last five outings. The team will host Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg in a friendly on September 27 to rebuild confidence and refine tactics ahead of future matches.
First reported at shobserver.cn
