Shenyang Urban fell to a 1:2 defeat against Sichuan Junqiu in the Super League's 23rd round of the regular season on Friday evening. The hosts took the lead through a penalty but could not hold on as the visitors struck twice in the closing stages.
And here's the thing about the opening quarter-hour — Shenyang were awarded a spot-kick after VAR review at the ninth minute. Jeffinho stepped up and made no mistake, converting at eleven to give the home side the advantage. It looked like a comfortable start before the momentum shifted.
Sichuan equalised almost immediately after the restart. A. Ademi found the net at thirty-one minutes, catching Shenyang flat-footed. Eden Karzev received a yellow card shortly after as the visitors tried to impose themselves, and the game opened up considerably from that point.
By then the pattern was clear — Shenyang controlled possession with fifty-three per cent but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities. They registered three shots on target against four for the visitors, but the efficiency gap told the story. Sichuan's shot accuracy stood at thirty-six per cent compared to Shenyang's twenty-three.
The decisive moment arrived in stoppage time. Jiang Zhipeng scored at the ninety-minute mark to put Sichuan ahead, and the visitors held their nerve through a frantic finale. Tim Chow and Rui Yu had already picked up bookings as Shenyang searched for an equaliser.
The result leaves Shenyang thirteenth on twenty-five points from twenty-five games, while Sichuan move up to eleventh with twenty-eight points. It was a match decided by those final minutes — Shenyang did not travel to make up the numbers, but neither did they close out a result they had held for most of the ninety.