Shanghai Shenhua claimed sole possession of first place in the Chinese Super League (CSL) with a dramatic 3-1 away victory over Beijing Guoan on Saturday, electrifying a record crowd of 62,291 at Workers Stadium. The result reshapes the title race as the league approaches its midway point.
Gao Tianyi and Luis Asue combined for Shenhua's opener in the seventh minute, with Asue's header squeezing past goalkeeper Hou Sen. Captain Wu Xi doubled the lead at 21 minutes with a clinical finish after outpacing Beijing's defense.
Beijing briefly rallied when Guga's free kick beat Xue Qinghao in the 26th minute, but a potential equalizer from Dawhan was disallowed for offside. Shanghai sealed their victory in stoppage time through Yu Hanchao, who redeemed an earlier disallowed goal with a decisive one-on-one finish.
The win gives Shenhua 41 points from 17 matches, three clear of second-place Guoan. Other weekend results saw Dalian Yingbo and Shenzhen Peng City secure emphatic 4-0 wins, while Henan drew 1-1 with Meizhou Hakka.
