Taishan's coaching change brings a winning start, with a young defense holding firm under pressure to stop the slump.

Reporter Chen Yong reports. The match on the evening of August 1 against Shanghai Port was the first game for Shandong Taishan after the coaching change, and also the first victory for interim head coach Tang Tian. What is particularly commendable is that, with more than 30 minutes of playing a man down in the second half, Taishan's young defense held firm under pressure. Yu Jinyong, with a penalty save and eight saves overall, led the team to unite and tenaciously preserve the victory, ending their two-game losing streak in the league.

In this match, Taishan's starting lineup was: goalkeeper Yu Jinyong; three central defenders Liu Yang, Zheng Zheng, and Yang Ruiqi; left and right wing-backs Chen Pu and Mai Wulang; double defensive midfielders Huang Zhengyu and Ma Dega; and the front three foreign imports Kazhaishvili, Cressan, and Zeca. The bench situation was also improving, with foreign player Alvaro returning to the bench and eventually coming on as a substitute, while Gao Zhunyi and Xie Wenneng were also on standby, though they are carrying injuries and require careful management regarding playing time.

The match was full of twists and turns. Just five minutes into the game, Liu Yang made a long pass of about 60 meters from the left side of midfield, accurately finding Mai Wulang who had made a run to the right byline. Mai Wulang immediately crossed the ball, and Zeca leaped high to head it into the net, giving Taishan a perfect start.

After that, both sides exchanged attacks. In the 23rd minute, Ma Dega unleashed a beautiful long-range shot, which Yan Junling managed to save with effort. In the 33rd minute, a high-quality shot from Melendo was also saved by Yu Jinyong. Both goalkeepers showed their skills.

In the 36th minute, Cressan's one-on-one goal was disallowed for offside. In first-half stoppage time, Ampe scored, but after VAR intervention, the referee changed the decision, ruling that Vitale had committed a foul first, so the goal for Shanghai Port was also canceled.

In the second half, Shanghai Port continued to fight back relentlessly. In the 64th minute, Huang Zhengyu was shown a second yellow card for a deliberate handball, forcing Taishan to play with one man less for the final 30-plus minutes. In the 74th minute, the referee ruled that Ma Dega had committed a foul in the penalty area; Vitale's penalty was saved by Yu Jinyong, and then Shanghai Port scored on the rebound, but the referee ruled that a Shanghai Port player had entered the area early, so the goal was disallowed—this was the third disallowed goal of the match. In the final stages, Shanghai Port had another goal disallowed for offside, making it four disallowed goals in total.

In the end, Shandong Taishan tenaciously held on to the win despite being a man down. Shanghai Port had eight shots on target but failed to score. Tang Tian remarked after the match that luck was on Taishan's side. He gave high praise for the team's defensive performance: "If the defense was out of 100, I'd give it 120. This match reflected the team's sense of responsibility. With that sense of responsibility, the team will get better and better in the future."

Beyond the victory, what was gratifying about this match was that after the coaching change, Taishan continued its strategy of rejuvenation. The team's mental performance was impressive, with high concentration from the start and a display of resilience in the final period when playing a man down.

Considering the team's poor run of conceding goals in 15 consecutive league matches, it was not surprising that the starting lineup prioritized stability. However, it was somewhat surprising to see Yang Ruiqi start as a central defender, given that Peng Xiao and Shi Songchen were on the bench. Yang Ruiqi clearly lacked experience; this was only his third appearance for Taishan this season. He had previously started in the FA Cup match against Sanzhen and came on as a substitute in the last home loss to Henan. In this match, Yang Ruiqi played a full 90 minutes for the first time and delivered a solid performance, especially in aerial duels.

Yu Jinyong's continued start was widely expected. After his miraculous feat of saving three penalties in both regular time and the penalty shootout in the FA Cup match against Wuhan Sanzhen, he once again kept out a penalty in this match and made a personal Chinese Super League record of eight saves in total. During the post-match lap of appreciation, Yu Jinyong received cheers from the fans. However, when evaluating his performance, he humbly said he would give himself only 70 or 80 points: "Winning a match doesn't rely on just one player or someone else. I thank everyone for fighting until the end."

The young substitutes also performed well. Taishan made three consecutive substitutions in the second half: Xie Wenneng replaced Zeca, Shi Songchen replaced Mai Wulang, and Peng Xiao replaced Zheng Zheng. Peng Xiao was deployed as a sweeper, which was actually a tactic to play to his strengths—he plays that position for the U23 national team, with Liu Haofan and Wumitijiang as the two wide center-backs. Shi Songchen had shown good performances on the wing in the previous match, and although he is primarily a center-back, playing as a wing-back also provides training and improvement. Taishan did not concede during the final 30-plus minutes while playing a man down, and the performance of the four young defenders in the backline was particularly commendable.

For Tang Tian and Taishan, this victory certainly boosted confidence. However, whether they can maintain consistent performance in the future remains to be seen. After all, Taishan started the season very well but then fell into difficulties. They had a brief resurgence with a three-game winning streak in May, but soon entered another period of instability.

Despite being second in actual results, the reason Taishan has been widely criticized is largely due to their inconsistent performances, especially the fluctuating form of players. Therefore, Tang Tian's remaining goals for this season are to ensure stability in both the team's spirit and results, and to do so while continuing the process of rejuvenation.