Match Report
On the table this was a mismatch: Shanghai Shenhua (2nd, 77 pts) held a 55-point advantage over Nantong Zhiyun (16th, 22 pts). The last five rounds placed Nantong Zhiyun 5th in the league for form — higher than their 16th in the standings. Against a league average of 1.56 goals per team per game, Shanghai Shenhua ran at 2.43 scored and 0.67 conceded, Nantong Zhiyun at 1.07 and 2.2.
A win had eluded Nantong Zhiyun for 6 matches. Recent form was uneven: 10/15 points for Shanghai Shenhua, 1/15 for Nantong Zhiyun.
The match was played at Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai (capacity 72,000). On the scoreboard, Shanghai Shenhua led 3-0 at the break; 3 second-half goals set the final 5-1.