Shanghai Port remains unbeaten in 12 matches, temporarily topping the table. Is Vital coming out of the shadow of being a “flop”?

Written by Jin Cuo 4-1, Shanghai Port easily defeated Henan at home, using a one-day “time difference” to temporarily reach the top of the Chinese Super League with 47 points. The last ten rounds of the league have begun, and it’s clear that the battle for the championship will intensify.

In the last round, Shanghai Port defeated Shenhua 2-1 in the Shanghai derby, reducing the point difference from 4 to 1. After 20 rounds, Shenhua has 45 points, Shanghai Port 44 points, Rongcheng 43 points, and Guoan 42 points, with the top four separated by just 1 point. It can be said that every point in the next 10 rounds of the Super League is crucial. “We must show strong fighting spirit and competitiveness. The entire team understands that we need to treat every match as a final. To achieve our goals, we must give our all in every game,” said veteran Zhang Linpeng before the match against Henan.

For the 21st round, Shanghai Port's opponent is Henan. It is worth noting that in July in Shanghai, they first eliminated Shenhua in the FA Cup and then narrowly lost 2-3 to Shenhua in the Super League. In the last round of the Super League, they crushed the newly promoted Rongcheng with a score of 4-1. Against Henan, Shanghai Port must show sufficient fighting spirit. “Our opponents have been in excellent form recently and have shown great competitiveness. During this period, the team reached a consensus through meetings that everyone needs to maintain the same spirit, intensity, and mindset as in the last match for tomorrow's game, hoping for a brilliant performance from the team,” Coach Muskate reminded the players before the match.

However, in preparation for the FA Cup next week, Henan made some rotations in their starting lineup, with only Maidana and Nasario among the foreign players starting, while Cardoso and the impressive Achiempon from the last round sat on the bench. On Shanghai Port's side, all five foreign players were on the field, including Vital, who had to leave early in the Shanghai derby due to injury, and he became the key player in this match.

In the 21st minute, Shanghai Port executed a clever set-piece, with Vital lifting the ball into the box, where Wang Shenchao, lurking at the back post, headed it in to open the scoring. In the 37th minute, during a counterattack, Liu Ruofan passed back to Vital, who took a long-range shot outside the box, doubling the score to 2-0. In stoppage time of the first half, Shanghai Port displayed smooth teamwork on the right flank, with Vital assisting Leonardo for a one-on-one goal, ending the half with a comfortable 3-goal lead. In the second half, Shanghai Port once led 4-0, and although Henan made substitutions, they could only manage a consolation goal from a penalty by Cardoso, resulting in a final score of 4-1, allowing Shanghai Port to temporarily top the table with 47 points.

In this match, Vital performed brilliantly, contributing one goal and two assists in the first half, with six key passes throughout the game, setting a new personal record for a single match in the Super League, which is also the highest in the team. This season, Vital joined Shanghai Port as Oscar's successor, and he has expressed his fondness for Shanghai and China. However, compared to Oscar, Vital is clearly not at the same level, with only 2 goals and 5 assists in 20 matches, falling short of fans' expectations, leading some to believe he can only play a supporting role and cannot carry the team.

Moreover, some believe that Vital's defense is weak and he makes many mistakes. However, during the derby against Shenhua, he impressively got back on his feet to cover defensively after being injured, which moved the Shanghai Port fans. In that match, although Vital left early and did not record any assists or goals, he had a 95% passing success rate, with 2 key passes and 4 accurate long passes out of 5 attempts, showcasing a decent performance.

In the match against Henan, Vital completely controlled the game, resembling Oscar in his prime. Of course, this is also related to the opponent's rotations, but at least he is gradually stepping out of the shadow of being labeled a “flop.”

“The current system is different from the beginning of the season. Gustavo has contributed significantly, helping the team win the championship last year; we cannot forget his contributions. Now, with Melendo joining, he has brought more ball control, which is a great help to the team. It’s hard to compare the two systems; what’s important is that in the upcoming matches, we need to continue to perform well,” Vital said after the match. He also revealed that after confirming his move to Shanghai Port, Gustavo was the first to message him and provided him with a lot of support. “We’ve known each other since our time at Corinthians, and I wish him all the best.”

Equally impressive were Leonardo and Liu Ruofan. In the 4th minute of stoppage time in the first half, Leonardo dribbled past the advancing Xu Jiamin and sent the ball into an empty net, scoring his 13th goal of the season in the Super League, tying with Vako for second place, just one goal behind Fabio. Moreover, this marks his first time scoring in four consecutive Super League matches for Shanghai Port. Notably, he has scored in every match against Henan in their last four encounters.

Liu Ruofan contributed one assist, and he has scored in all three matches in August, including one goal and one assist against Meizhou. However, he did not score or assist in June and July.

As for Muskate, he prefers to talk about Melendo, who scored his first goal since joining the Super League.

“As the matches increase, he is gaining a deeper understanding of the team's tactical style and the high demands of his position—during the attacking phase, I hope he can participate in the build-up and then move closer to the goal. This is a test for his fitness, but he seems to be doing well so far. In today’s match, his positioning was good, but sometimes we failed to get the ball to him quickly. As our understanding improves, he will perform even better,” Muskate said.

Regarding the match, Muskate believes they played with the same spirit as the previous game, stating, “The team worked hard to secure the three points, and I am very happy about that.”

With Shanghai Port defeating Henan, all eyes now turn to Shenhua, who will face Zhejiang away. Against opponents featuring Wang Yudong and Mitric, Shenhua must be fully prepared.