In the 16th round of the Chinese Super League supplementary match on September 20, the Shanghai Haigang team with an upgraded staffing team visited Zhengzhou and defeated the Henan Songshan Longmen team 2-1 after being sent off. Wu Lei came off the bench on behalf of the Haigang team in the 64th minute of the game. After a lapse of 1,409 days, this striker “fast horse” reappeared in the Chinese Super League. Affected by the fact that the team was forced to concentrate on defense with one less person fighting, Wu Lei failed to score a goal, but from the appearance of more than 20 minutes, his starting speed, passing and shooting awareness are still outstanding. After “going home”, Wu Lei has no sense of conflict with the Chinese Super League. He may not be far away from “full blood resurrection”.
After a long absence from the Chinese Super League, he entered the bench lineup
Before this round, Songshan Longmen temporarily ranked third in the standings with 30 points, while the Haigang team temporarily ranked ninth. Affected by objective factors, the Haigang team has not participated in the competition for nearly 20 days since the draw with the Cangzhou Lions on September 1. It was also taking advantage of this special interval that head coach Lecco combined with the arrival of a group of new aids to make some changes to the team’s lineup. Among the “newcomers”, Wu Lei is undoubtedly the one that Lecco is most looking forward to.
It is also because Wu Lei has been out of battle for a long time before that Lecco placed him in the Haigang team’s bench lineup in the game on the evening of the 20th. The naturalized national defender Jiang Guangtai, who also took advantage of the opening of the transfer summer window to switch to the Haigang team, appeared as a starter in this game. The upgrade of the main lineup configuration to the seaport team achieved immediate results. Jiang Guangtai used a corner kick in the 24th minute to break the deadlock with a supplementary shot in front of the goal. This was also his first goal after joining the Haigang team. In the 49th minute, Paulinho assisted Cai Huikang and scored the second goal of the Haigang team.
Harbour No. 7 returns after 1409 days
Although Wu Lei failed to make his debut, at the beginning of the game, he hung his brand new Haigang No. 7 jersey on the back of the bench seat. Obviously, he is ready to play, or in other words, he confirmed before the game that he will definitely make his debut after returning to Hong Kong and the Chinese Super League in this game. At the beginning of the second half of the game, Wu Lei and his former Spaniard teammate Vargas began to warm up on the sidelines.
In the 58th minute of the game, Jiang Guangtai brought down the home team Huang Zichang in the penalty area, and the referee Jin Jingyuan awarded a penalty after VAR technology intervened. When Zhong Yihao missed the penalty, Wu Lei and Vargas smiled knowingly at each other, and soon they both sat together, wearing shin pads. In the 64th minute, Wu Lei and Vargas replaced Paulinho and Issa Cuaron respectively. After a lapse of 1409 days, the smart Haigang No. 7 returned to the Chinese Super League stage.
After the debut, Wu Lei looked more excited. He won a corner kick for his team with his first touch in the 66th minute. 4 minutes later, Wu Lei stole the ball and turned it to Vargas, but unfortunately the latter shot the ball away. Less than a minute later, the two shot successively to force Songshan Longmen goalkeeper Wang Guoming to make two thrilling saves in a row.
Just as Wu Lei was on the rise, Zhang Huachen, a young player from the seaport, brought down Huang Zichang and received a second yellow card and was sent off. The harbour team, with one less man, had to concentrate heavily on defense. After N’Diaye was replaced by Matijiang, Wu Lei’s position on the field was moved from the wing to the middle, but at this moment, it was difficult for his teammates to deliver cannonballs for him. Wu Lei can only involve the opponent’s defense line through diligent running, so as to relieve the pressure on the team’s defense line.
Harbour team points to 7th
After the final whistle sounded, Wu Lei smiled and hugged his teammates one by one. On this night, Wu Lei returned to the familiar arena. More than 3 years is not a short time, but the teammates who appeared around him, in addition to foreign aid, most of the players are his old friends in the club, the national team, and even the partners who grew up with the Chongming Island base, returning to the Chinese Super League. Wu Lei did not show any discomfort, and this tacit understanding was the key to his rapid recovery.
After Zhengzhou reported victory, the Haigang team rose to seventh place in the Chinese Super League standings. Although returning to the championship group seems out of reach, being able to stop the decline is a huge encouragement to the team. With Wu Lei’s return and appearance, the Haigang team’s comeback is just around the corner.
Article source: Beiqing SportsReturn to Sohu, see more
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