Dalian Zhexin beat Shanghai Shenhua 1:0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals at the weekend. The visitors went down to ten men early, but the hosts held their nerve to book a place in the semi-finals. N. Stanciu's second-half penalty proved decisive after Huang Zihao's red card had reshaped the contest from the start.
Shanghai lost their man at the eighth minute and never quite recovered. Luo Jing came off to cover the gap, but the visitors continued to dominate possession without threatening. J. Teixeira and Li Songyi picked up yellow cards as the hosts sat deep and soaked it up, waiting for their moment.
The turning point came in the fifty-fourth minute when N. Stanciu converted from the spot. The home side had been content to let Shanghai roam, but the goal changed everything. Shanghai pushed forward in search of an equaliser, and that opened the door for the visitors to extend their lead.
Saulo Mineiro was sent off in the seventy-seventh minute, but Dalian had already done enough. The game opened up, and the hosts made the most of the space. P. Delgado and Xie Pengfei came off to see out the remaining minutes, and the result stood.
Shanghai controlled 113 attacks to Dalian's 71, but the numbers tell only part of the story. Both sides registered three shots on target, yet the visitors gave away too many cheap fouls and paid the price. Possession was even, but the penalty separated them.
Shanghai have not won since their last league fixture, while Dalian's run of results has been steadier. This quarter-final victory puts the hosts one step closer to the final, and the draw will be keen to see how they respond in the next round.