Returning from injury with 5 saves, Li Hao secures 1 point for ten-man West Coast

Report by Chen Yong Despite failing to block the opponent's deflected shot during stoppage time, Li Hao's outstanding performance still helped Qingdao West Coast secure 1 point. After 5 rounds, Qingdao West Coast has 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses, accumulating 4 points and ranking 7th on the standings. Considering there are still 5 strong teams with championship potential ahead, Qingdao West Coast will need more consistent performances in the future.

After playing in the first two rounds of the Chinese Super League, Li Hao suffered an injury, which caused him to miss the national team training camp in March. Otherwise, he would likely have been selected for the national team, which is undoubtedly a regret. In the fourth round, Li Hao was still injured, and Qingdao West Coast suffered a heavy defeat away to Chengdu Rongcheng.

In this match against Liaoning Tieren, Li Hao finally returned. This game also featured a showdown between old friends Zheng Zhi and Li Jinyu. Previously, Li Jinyu had faced Han Peng; these three were the local forward trio for Shandong Taishan when they won the double championship in 2006, with Li Jinyu as the Golden Boot, Zheng Zhi as the Silver Boot, and Han Peng ranking fifth on the scorers' list.

Just 8 minutes into the match, Liaoning Tieren made a passing error in their own half. Liu Xiaolong received a clever pass from Aziz and scored, giving Qingdao West Coast an early lead. Subsequently, Liaoning Tieren began to besiege Qingdao West Coast. In the 45th minute, Li Hao quickly went down to block a shot from Liaoning Tieren. During stoppage time in the first half, Li Hao again saved a long-range shot from Liaoning Tieren's Refenio. In the first half of this match, Qingdao West Coast's possession rate dropped to 26.7%, with a shot ratio of 4 to 9, but their offensive efficiency was higher, with a shots-on-target ratio of 2 to 3, and they managed to score.

The turning point of the match was Ding Haifeng's red card in the 62nd minute. Already under pressure, Qingdao West Coast was forced into a full retreat. In the 68th minute, Li Hao again used his leg to block An Yien's close-range header. During stoppage time in the 91st minute, Li Hao also saved Mbenza's one-on-one attempt.

Perhaps luck balances out. While Li Hao performed excellently, facing a deflected shot while playing with one man less was beyond his control. In the 92nd minute, Li Haoran's shot trajectory was not particularly tricky, but it struck the leg of a Qingdao West Coast defender and deflected, leaving Li Hao unprepared and helpless as the ball went into the net.

In this match, Qingdao West Coast's possession rate was only 25.1%. This was partly due to their early goal leading to deliberate contraction, and the last 30-plus minutes of playing with 10 men forcing passive retreat. Another reason is that Liaoning Tieren is one of the teams with higher possession rates this season. Multiple factors led to West Coast's overall passivity. Statistically, the corner ratio was 1 to 7, and the shot ratio was 9 to 16. Li Hao contributed 5 saves in this match, mostly highly difficult close-range saves.

Li Hao, who performed excellently and consistently last season, continues to show outstanding form this season. Although he missed the national team training camp in March due to injury, his selection to the national team is only a matter of time. Of course, before fully dedicating himself to the national team, Li Hao will first participate in the Asian Games with his teammates.

Qingdao West Coast's start of 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses is average, but an important objective reason is that their three losses were all away games against teams with championship potential: the first round away to Zhejiang, the second round away to Shanghai Port, and the previous round away to Chengdu Rongcheng. Their two home games resulted in 1 win and 1 draw. After this match, Qingdao West Coast's next game is the Qingdao Derby, away to Qingdao Hainiu, which will be another very tough contest.