Benitez's Dalian side held to draw by Shanghai Shenhua in Chinese Super League
Giovanni Moreno (front R) of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua competes during the 11th round match between Dalian Pro and Shanghai Greenland Shenhua at the postponed 2020 season Chinese Football Association Super League (CSL) Dalian Division in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
DALIAN, China, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Dalian Pro were held to a 1-1 draw by Shanghai Shenhua in the 11th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) here on Monday.
The result means Rafa Benitez's side are sixth in Group A, three points off the fourth place, while Shanghai Shenhua slip to the fifth position in the group on goal difference. Both teams have chances to advance to the championship group for the second stage of Chinese Super League with five games remaining.
Cao Yunding had a goal disallowed in the 19th minute after the Shenhua's scorer tripped Tong Lei inside the box.
Shenhua could have taken the lead in the 28th minute through Yang Xu's header, but his glancing effort drifted just wide.
Dalian ended the impasse in the 33rd minute when Swedish winger Sam Larsson assisted Salomon Rondon to net a stunning long-range strike.
The game's turning point came in the 86th minute as Bi Jinhao tapped Yu Hanchao's cross to level the game for Shenhua, and that was just the right reward for Shenhua head coach Choi Kang-Hee, who made a raft of changes midway through the second half.