Shenzhen Peng City fell 1-2 to Shandong Taishan in the 11th round of the Chinese Super League on May 10, but their spirited display earned a standing ovation from the 23,751 fans at Shenzhen Sports Center.
Despite missing several key players through injury, the home side matched their star-studded opponents for large periods. Benkovic was sidelined with a thigh strain, while Ademi was not fully fit. Both Ousou and Kaltsev were on the bench due to fatigue after a heavy schedule. In contrast, Shandong Taishan fielded four of their five foreign signings, with only Madruga suspended.
Shenzhen’s understrength lineup caused problems with long balls and set-pieces in the first half. Wesly’s header and Dai Weijun’s close-range effort both came close to breaking the deadlock. However, a defensive lapse from Zhou Dingyang just before half-time allowed Crysan to open the scoring.
Shandong doubled their lead in the 78th minute when Crysan pounced on another defensive error. But Shenzhen refused to give up, pulling a goal back in stoppage time through Hu Ruibao, assisted by substitute Ousou, to make the final score 1-2.
After the match, head coach Chen Tao praised his players: “If we had been a bit calmer in certain situations, the result could have been different. But looking at the whole game, I think the players can hold their heads high.”
The defeat leaves Shenzhen with just three wins, one draw, and seven losses from 11 matches, placing them barely inside the top half of the table – a record that still falls short of fan expectations.
