Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Shanghai: A double strike from Oscar rescued a 2-2 draw for Shanghai SIPG after twice falling behind to Group F rivals Ulsan Hyundai on 2018 AFC Champions League Matchday Three on Wednesday.
The home side started well and in the sixth minute, Hulk unleashed a powerful shot from 30 yards that Oh Seong-hoon pushed wide. Oscar had a similar effort 15 minutes later but his shot struck the bar.
A long ball from Oscar then found Wu Lei and the striker’s spectacular volley went narrowly wide.
But against the run of play, Ulsan took the lead when Richard Windbichler powered home a header from Lee Yeong-jae’s corner in the 37th minute.
Shanghai’s response was immediate. Oscar seized the ball 30 yards from goal, drove forward and struck a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
The hosts were within inches of taking the lead in the 63rd minute when Oscar’s through ball put Wu Lei through on goal. The China striker went for power but his shot came crashing back off the bar.
And the visitors stunned the home crowd in the 68th minute when they took the lead for the second time. Mislav Orsic fed the ball out to Lee Myung-jae on the left and his low cross was turned in at the back post by Kim In-sung.
But Shanghai and Oscar’s response was again immediate. The Brazilian received a pass from Elkeson on the edge of the area, looked up and curled the ball into the top corner.
Seong-hoon kept out a number of late efforts from the home side to secure a well-earned point for the K League side.
The result keeps Shanghai two points clear of their rivals at the top of Group F before the sides meet again in Ulsan next Tuesday.