Harold Preciado (L) of Shenzhen FC competes during the fifth round match between Shandong Luneng and Shenzhen FC at the postponed 2020 season Chinese Football Association Super League (CSL) Dalian Division in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Aug. 15, 2020. (Xinhua/Long Lei)
DALIAN, China, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Pressure continues to mount on Shenzhen FC as the team slipped to a poor rain-swept 2-0 defeat against Shandong Luneng in the fifth round of the Chinese Super League here on Saturday.
After a three-game losing streak, Shenzhen has sacked Italian head coach Roberto Donadoni. Since the new head coach Johan Cruyff is not likely to take charge of his new side until early next month, assistant coach Zhang Xiaorui has been appointed to lead the team to the match against Luneng and subsequent rounds of the CSL.
Thanks to chaotically rainy conditions, former Italian international Graziano Pelle put Luneng ahead with a 25th-minute shot after Jin Jingdao accidentally delivered a precise cross that should have been a shot.
Luneng's other threat of the first half came from Duan Liuyu, as the breakaway effort from the under-23 striker narrowly went wide in the 35th minute.
In the 38th minute, Jiang Zhipeng struck a powerful free-kick from outside the Luneng box, but Gao Lin wasted the critical chance to level despite dashing forward on the left flank.
With six minutes into the second half, Li Xiaopeng's side almost doubled their lead. Guo Tianyu was hauled down by defender Qiao Wei, but Shenzhen's goalkeeper Guo Wei saved Moises Lima's low shot from the spot.
In the closing minutes of the game, substitute Liu Binbin intercepted a pass and ran all the way to apply a killer touch.
"It's a striker's goal in the right time and the right moment with the right position," Pelle said after the game, as the Luneng talisman finally scored his first goal of the season. Enditem
