Once again, Shandong Taishan lost to the Yokohama Marinos. This was the fourth consecutive time in a single season of the AFC Champions League. After the game, Cui Kangxi bluntly said that he learned a lot through the AFC Champions League, while Wang Dalei admitted that his skills were inferior to others. Indeed, it is no accident that the Taishan team lost to the same opponent four times in a row. The players tried their best, but the real gap must also be seen. During the game, the Taishan team once had one more player, but failed to seize the opportunity.
The effect of Kreisan's comeback was not the best.
Cui Kangxi's continuous substitutions failed to create a miracle.
In the first round match, the Taishan team lost 1-2 at home. Kreisan's absence due to injury became the biggest regret. During this trip to Yokohama, Cresan arrived with the whole team. During the training on the 11th, Cresan participated in the team's lap training and did not participate in the confrontation training. While other members of the Taishan team were conducting confrontation training, Cresan conducted one-on-one breakaway training with assistant coaches at other venues to adjust his condition.
Cresan's start made the fans very excited. After all, he is the biggest threat to the Taishan team's offense. However, Cresan was unable to participate in confrontation training due to injury for a long time, which directly affected his condition. During the pre-match training session, Cresan had been practicing passing and receiving with Judson. During the shooting session, he still did not dare to fully exert his strength. To a certain extent, Cui Kangxi arranged for Cresang to start, which has the element of "fighting".
In the midfield and backcourt, Cui Kangxi also made adjustments. Tong Lei started as the right back, and Micro-Zhun Yi moved to the defensive midfielder. Zheng Zheng and Judson partnered as central defenders. Liu Yang, Li Yuanyi and Peng Xinli continued to start. The Taishan team still wanted to Strengthen the control of the midfield and limit penetration and through balls from the front of the opponent's penalty area. Judging from the starting lineup alone, Taishan team wants to grab the start, but from the actual effect, Taishan team did not have any advantage in the opening stage, and even rarely had the opportunity to attack within 30 meters of the frontcourt. The scene seemed very passive.
It was not until 25 minutes later that the Taishan team gradually relied on the frontcourt to gain some opportunities, but unfortunately they failed to seize them. Throughout the first half, the Taishan team first suppressed and then improved, gradually changing the situation on the court. Not long after the start of the second half, the Taishan team gained a numerical advantage. In an 11-on-10 situation, Cui Kangxi took the lead. He replaced Tong Lei with Bi Jinhao, and the Taishan team changed its formation for the first time. Micro Motion returned to the right back position, and Bi Jinhao and Cresan formed a double center. This was the first time Cui Kangxi added a high point on the front line. After the change of formation, the Taishan team also got some opportunities. Li Yuanyi's shot in the penalty area was just a hair's breadth away.
In order to strengthen the offense, Cui Kangxi replaced Zheng Zheng and Fernando with Wu Xinghan and Xie Wenneng in the 70th minute. This was also a passive adjustment because Zheng Zheng was injured. At this time, Cui Kangxi could only let Liu Yang recover to the middle and let Wu Xing Han went to play full-back. Judging from the actual effect, Cui Kangxi's substitution did not work. Instead, it gave the opponent a chance to open up the situation on the wing. In the 75th minute, the Taishan team was scored a goal and fell into a desperate situation. At this time, Cui Kangxi was ready for the last ditch effort. He was going to let Huang Zhengyu replace Peng Xinli, and then push Judson to the front line. Unfortunately, just before this substitution was carried out, Micro Motion Wing received another red card, and the Taishan team lost its numerical advantage.
After two minutes of waiting, Cui Kangxi replaced Peng Xinli with Huang Zhengyu, and Judson still reached the front line. This was the second time the Taishan team increased its high point. At the last moment, the Taishan team made consecutive high passes. This time, the Taishan team did not create a miracle. In fact, Yokohama's players reached their limit. They delayed time many times to hold on to the 1-0 score. When the referee's final whistle sounded, many Yokohama players lay directly on the field. In this game, both teams tried their best, but Yokohama was still superior.
Objectively speaking, Cresan's comeback was a gamble, but the effect was not optimal, and injuries had a great impact on him. Facing the situation of falling behind 1 to 2, Cui Kangxi actually had no other choice. There was no way out in the decisive battle. The whole team could only attack with all its strength. The result was regrettable, but the determination of the Taishan team to win is still worthy of recognition. At least, They fought until the last second.
Taishan fans persisted in the cold wind.
Zheng Zheng dragged his injured leg to leave the game, which was touching.
13 In Yokohama, the wind was very strong. At the moment when the score was 0 to 1, the Taishan team's AFC Champions League journey in the 2023-2024 season came to an end. At this moment, it was a little unwilling to admit the gap. Injuries and a dense schedule have become obstacles for the Taishan team to advance. When Cui Kangxi summarized the game, he also mentioned that the players did not seize the opportunity due to fatigue.
From March 1st to 13th, the Taishan team played 4 consecutive games. The physical fitness of the players has been put to the test. Cui Kangxi helped the players adjust by rotating the lineup. However, in the AFC Champions League, the Taishan team encountered too many challenges. Big, this time, they failed to get past Yokohama. After the game, Cui Kangxi and his translator returned to the locker room. Facing the encouragement from the fans, Cui Kangxi applauded and bowed in response. For the coach, he also tried his best.
During the players' farewell session, you can see the reluctance on the players' faces, but facing the result of losing to the same team four times in a row, they can only accept it silently and then look forward. In an interview with reporters, Wang Dalei admitted that he was inferior to others in losing to Yokohama four times in a row and felt sorry for the fans. This is a manifestation of responsibility, which may be a little helpless, but it can also see the direction of future efforts. Wang Dalei also said that what Cui brought to the team has been of great help to the team. Many Japanese and Korean teams may have already played this way, but now, the Taishan team is still on the way to catch up.
Zheng Zheng, who was injured during the game, dragged his injured leg to leave the field with the whole team. He stood in the cold wind, staring at the fans in the stands, unwilling to leave for a long time. This game is Zheng Zheng's 399th official game on behalf of the Taishan team. At the age of 35, he still wants to run with all his strength to help the team. When he returned to the locker room with his injured leg, it was a bit moving. The fans in the stands expressed their support for the team with "Hey hi, Taishan team", which means never giving up.
The wind in Yokohama is very cold, but the fire in the hearts of the Taishan team has not been extinguished. Cui Kangxi said that the goal of returning to the league is to compete for the championship. Micro Motion also said that being eliminated from the AFC Champions League cannot dampen our confidence. The goal of the league is to win the championship. Lift your head, look forward, and believe in Taishan.
