In an action-packed Chinese Super League (CSL) match on Saturday, Beijing Guoan overwhelmed Shandong Taishan 6-1 at home in Beijing, in a game marred by three red cards.
Shandong Taishan struck first in the fourth minute when Valeri Qazaishvili’s cross found Zeca, who tapped in to give the visitors an early lead. However, Beijing Guoan responded swiftly. In the 15th minute, Sai Erjiniao delivered an accurate pass to Zhang Yuning, whose cross was headed home by Fabio Abreu, leveling the score at 1-1.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 27th minute when Shandong’s Wu Xinghan was initially shown a yellow card for a tackle on Lin Liangming. After consulting the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the referee upgraded it to a red card, leaving Shandong with ten men. The situation worsened for the visitors ten minutes later as goalscorer Zeca received a straight red for a challenge on Wang Gang, reducing Shandong to nine players.
Beijing capitalized on their numerical advantage, taking the lead just before halftime. In stoppage time, Guga seized on a deflected cross from Wang Gang to make it 2-1.
The second half saw Beijing Guoan dominate the depleted Shandong side. Just two minutes after the restart, Sai Erjiniao extended the lead to 3-1, skillfully maneuvering past goalkeeper Wang Dalei to score. In the 52nd minute, Fabio Abreu headed in his second goal of the night from a cross by substitute Yang Liyu, bringing the score to 4-1.
Despite Beijing’s Cao Yongjing receiving a red card in the 59th minute for denying a clear scoring opportunity, reducing his team to ten men, Beijing continued their onslaught. In the 78th minute, Zhang Yuning fired a powerful shot from the edge of the box to make it 5-1. In stoppage time, Zhang Xizhe added the final goal, finishing off another assist from Yang Liyu to seal an emphatic 6-1 victory.
The win keeps Beijing Guoan undefeated this season, with three wins placing them fifth on the CSL table.
In another fixture, Shanghai Shenhua secured a 2-0 victory over Wuhan Three Towns at home in Shanghai. Joao Teixeira opened the scoring in the 21st minute after Xie Pengfei’s cross, and Andre Luis doubled the lead with a free-kick four minutes into the second half. Wuhan had two goals disallowed by VAR for offside. Shanghai Shenhua remain at the top of the league with 20 points from eight games.
