Three points are all that matters! A tough end to the losing streak, but the newly appointed coach of Shenhua still has a long way to go

Special contribution by Gan Hui A 1-0 victory finally ended Shenhua's three-game losing streak, as they narrowly beat Qingdao Hainiu away in last night's league match. Looking at the team's overall performance, Shenhua was far from impressive—shots, possession, corner kicks, and many other statistics were on par with their opponents, and Hainiu even nearly equalized in stoppage time.

But for Shenhua at this stage, winning is the only thing that matters, especially in this "relegation battle" against Qingdao Hainiu. Even if the match was not aesthetically pleasing, even if luck played a part—only by securing three points could Shenhua widen the gap from the relegation-threatened teams and temporarily put themselves in a safer position. Only by taking all three points could they stabilize the squad, boost confidence, and get back on track as soon as possible.

In the pre-match press conference, Mao Yijun, the head of the first-team coaching staff who took over Shenhua, essentially revealed his tactical approach for this game. Mao stated, "After reviewing the previous matches, we will make some adjustments and improvements based on the current setup, hoping the team can deliver better performances on the pitch."

Therefore, the starting lineup for last night's match was completely expected. With Teixeira suspended due to accumulating four yellow cards, the coaching staff deployed Xie Pengfei, which was also Slutsky's usual approach.

At the same time, the coaching staff addressed the controversial defensive lineup reshuffling from the previous two games by returning Chen Jinyi and Manafa to their familiar positions, and pairing Li Songyi with Zhu Chenjie as central defenders.

Stability was also reflected in the corner kick tactics. In previous corner routines, Shenhua would commit many players to the opponent's box for attacks. However, in this game, due to the presence of fast counter-attacking threats like Yeboah in the opposing lineup, Shenhua was very cautious with corners, sometimes having only four or five players lurking in the box for headers.

After the match, Xu Haoyang, who scored the only goal of the game, said, "The coaching staff change hasn't been long, so there weren't many major changes at first. But through our adaptation over most of the match, we ultimately secured the victory."

The match was quite difficult, and the players also reported no significant tactical changes overall. However, the new coaching staff did bring some different adjustments to Shenhua.

During Slutsky's tenure, Shenhua usually made substitutions after the 60th minute. But in last night's match, Shenhua replaced Xie Pengfei, who was not in ideal form due to physical reasons, with Xu Haoyang at halftime. Mao Yijun explained, "Xie Pengfei had just recovered from a cold and was not at his best. It was already impressive that he could follow the tactical instructions and last until halftime. Having him play the first half and bringing on Xu Haoyang in the second was always our plan."

This substitution turned out to be one of the key factors in deciding the match. In the 54th minute, with the game deadlocked, Asue broke through on the right flank and sent a low cross across the goalmouth at high speed. Xu Haoyang and La Tang both rushed to the near post, and Xu Haoyang poked the ball home before the defender could clear it. Shenhua beat Qingdao Hainiu 1-0, securing victory in this "relegation battle."

In the final moments of the match, Mao Yijun substituted forward Asue with central defender Yang Shuai, changing the formation to 5-4-1. With three center-backs and two full-backs, only the fast Mineiro was left upfront as a counter-attacking option. This substitution sent a clear signal: Mao wanted to solidify the defense and preserve the lead. Although the team was somewhat passive in the dying minutes, luck was on Shenhua's side, and they managed to hold on to the 1-0 result until the final whistle.

Shenhua successfully brought back three crucial points from Qingdao, stopping their slide after three consecutive losses. After the match, Mao Yijun summarized, "Today's game was extremely tough. I want to thank every one of my players—they all showed their responsibility and commitment. Whether in attack or defense, they followed the plan to 100% execution and truly played as a team. This victory was hard-earned, and I hope they can maintain this spirit in every game ahead. Special thanks also go to our traveling fans."

Mineiro, who came off the bench, also updated his social media promptly: "Congratulations to everyone. We secured the three points as we wished, showcasing our strength and resilient will."