In a thrilling encounter on Saturday night, two traditional Chinese Super League (CSL) powerhouses, Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua, fought to a 2-2 draw in Shanghai Municipality. This result saw the visitors maintain their impressive 10-year unbeaten streak at Shenhua's home ground.
Beijing Guoan took an early lead in the 11th minute. Guga delivered a free kick from the left, which was deflected by Shenhua's goalkeeper Bao Yaxiong. The deflection found Dawhan, who expertly sent it into the box for Lin Liangming to score with a powerful header, putting Guoan ahead 1-0.
Shanghai Shenhua responded vigorously, leveling the score in the 38th minute. Ibrahim Amadou passed to Wu Xi, who broke into the left area. Although his initial shot was blocked by goalkeeper Han Jiaqi, Wu capitalized on the ensuing chaos to net the equalizer.
Tensions rose towards the end of the first half when Han punched Jiang Shenglong in the face during a corner kick scramble. The referee issued a yellow card to Guoan's goalkeeper and awarded Shenhua a penalty. Andre Luis coolly converted the spot kick, giving Shenhua a 2-1 lead as halftime approached.
The second half saw Beijing Guoan face further challenges. Substitute Zhang Yuan committed a foul on Joao Teixeira in the 81st minute. Initially shown a red card, the decision was revised to a yellow after consulting the video assistant referee (VAR). However, Zhang was still sent off due to accumulating two yellow cards.
In the dying moments of the match, Shenhua appeared poised to secure victory until goalkeeper Bao made a remarkable save in the 93rd minute. Li Lei's cross from the left found Fabio Abreu, whose powerful header struck the bar before ricocheting off Bao's right arm into the net, sealing a dramatic 2-2 finish.
