The Hai Niu achieved a long-awaited victory, climbing out of the relegation zone, and Silva is no longer isolated.

Reporter Chen Yong reports Oscar and Silva both had unfortunate moments: Oscar received a red card for an unintentional foul, while Silva suffered an undeserved blow, getting kicked in the groin by Oscar and rolling on the ground in agony. This red card ultimately became a turning point in the match, as Qingdao Hai Niu secured a 5-1 victory over their opponents—marking another long-awaited triumph since their 5-0 win against the now-dissolved Shenhua in the 2023 season.

In the league match against Yunnan Yukun on the night of the 9th, two midfield foreign players, Saric and Augusto, were injured, which was somewhat harsh for Qingdao Hai Niu. Fortunately, they still had the dynamic duo of Rankel Ze and Silva in the front line. In this match, Qingdao Hai Niu faced off with three foreign players against four from their opponents, with the only advantage being home ground. Luckily, Yunnan Yukun's away performance this season has been mediocre; prior to this round, they had gone three matches without a win on the road, and five of their seven league losses this season were also away matches.

Even so, the home fans might not have anticipated such a dream start for Hai Niu against the recently strong Yukun: in the 9th minute, Qingdao Hai Niu took a free kick by Lin Chuangyi, and Liu Junshuai headed the ball into the corner of the net; three minutes later, Rankel Ze delivered a brilliant through ball, and Silva rounded the goalkeeper to extend the lead to 2-0. In fact, before Liu Junshuai broke the deadlock, Yunnan Yukun's forward Enrique had a shot that hit the post, and Han Rongze's save combined with some luck saved Hai Niu.

In the 18th minute, Yunnan Yukun pulled one back through Oscar, reigniting their hopes of a comeback. However, in the 41st minute, Oscar was shown a red card for a dangerous challenge on Silva while contesting for the ball.

The red card was a turning point, but the true game changer was Che Shiwei's goal, which came from a classic two-on-one and two-on-two combination. Che Shiwei took a tactical corner, and after a series of passes with teammates, he blasted the ball into the net, making it 3-1 while having an extra player on the field, completely tipping the scales of victory. The subsequent two goals were a showcase of Rankel Ze's individual talent, demonstrating both his attacking prowess and scoring ability, proving that his previous high valuation was indeed justified. After Rankel Ze scored, Silva rushed forward to celebrate passionately, much to the delight of Hai Niu fans, who had often relied on the "Qingdao Mbappe" to break through defenses before the summer transfer window.

For the current Qingdao Hai Niu, having two strong foreign players like Rankel Ze and Silva has significantly sharpened the team's attack: after two rounds of adaptation, Rankel Ze has scored four goals in the last three matches, with three goals in the last two league games helping Qingdao Hai Niu achieve two victories.

With this win, Qingdao Hai Niu's points reached 14, surpassing Meizhou Hakka, who have yet to play this round, by one point. Meizhou Hakka will face Wuhan Three Towns away on Sunday. Additionally, Qingdao Hai Niu is now just three points behind Shenzhen New Pengcheng, who have lost three consecutive matches after defeating Qingdao Hai Niu in round 17, scoring in every match but conceding a staggering 11 goals, making them the team with the worst defense in the league.

Qingdao Hai Niu has conceded 32 goals, placing them in the mid-table of the league, but they have only scored 20 goals, including the five goals from this round. As mentioned earlier, Rankel Ze has boosted Qingdao Hai Niu's attacking power, and Silva is no longer isolated in the front line.

Before this round of matches, Qingdao Hai Niu welcomed a new sponsor: Qingdao Beer officially became the sleeve advertisement sponsor for Qingdao Hai Niu, which greatly boosted the team's morale. The significant victory in this match further enhanced the team's confidence.

The next two matches for Qingdao Hai Niu will be quite challenging: away against Chengdu Rongcheng and home against Shanghai Shenhua. Currently, the title contenders are fiercely competitive, with only a one-point gap between the top three teams. To earn points in these two matches, Qingdao Hai Niu will need a fighting spirit. Of course, they are also looking forward to the return of their two midfield foreign players, aiming to face the matches with a full five foreign player lineup.