September 9: With Four League Rounds Remaining, Shandong Taishan Faces a Major Blow and Its CSL Top-Four Push Is in Doubt

The match at Jinan Olympic Sports Center on the night of September 1 left Shandong Taishan fans extremely frustrated. In the FA Cup quarterfinals, they lost 0-3 at home to Shanghai Port and were eliminated in the last eight. The scoreline was already disappointing, and then came an even more worrying moment in the 71st minute—foreign player Zeca fell after a challenge and was helped off the pitch by staff.

After the match, he was carried onto the team bus by his teammates.

At the time, everyone thought he may have only suffered a sprain and that the problem was not serious. However, at 3:30 p.m. on September 7, Taishan released an injury update. Imaging examinations and medical team consultations showed that Zeca had suffered a right medial malleolus fracture, with an expected recovery period of 6-8 weeks.

What does 6-8 weeks mean? The CSL season ends on November 8. Counting back from the shortest six-week recovery period, he would not return until late October at the earliest, when only one or two league matches would remain. In other words, he is basically unavailable for the crucial final four rounds.

An incident that emerged before Zeca's injury happened on September 5, when Taishan hosted Shenzhen Peng City in the 26th CSL round.

The start of that match was almost perfect. Just 18 seconds after kickoff, Cressan scored with a poke finish, sending Jinan Olympic Sports Center into celebration. Tang Tian's plan to make a fast start worked again. But nobody expected that in the 29th minute, the same player would step on Shenzhen foreign player Gabriel's ankle with his studs during a challenge in attack.

Referee Mai Mai Tijiang initially showed a yellow card. After VAR intervention, he went to the sideline to review the replay and returned to overturn the decision to a red card. The stadium fell silent when the announcement was made. Frustrated, Cressan wiped sweat from his face with his shirt and had to leave the pitch. He had just made a contribution and suddenly made a mistake.

From scoring after 18 seconds to receiving a red card in the 29th minute, Taishan went from heaven to earth in less than half an hour.

Without their leading scorer, the ten-man Taishan side defended with great difficulty in the second half. Shenzhen equalized in the 67th minute, and the match ended 1-1. The three points that seemed secure became just one.

Cressan has scored 16 goals and provided 6 assists in 22 CSL appearances this season, making him the team's main attacking outlet. According to CSL regulations, the red card results in an automatic one-match suspension. In the October 11 away match against Chongqing Tonglianglong, Taishan will only have three foreign players available. Whether the Football Association will impose additional punishment or more suspension games remains undecided.

Returning to Zeca.

This season in the CSL, he has made 23 appearances, including 22 starts, scoring 9 goals and providing 4 assists, with 1,821 minutes played. Across all competitions, he has 25 appearances, 12 goals and 6 assists. Standing at 1.90 meters, he is Taishan's only true target center forward.

Some people believe Zeca has underperformed this season and suffered frequent minor injuries, although he had a brief surge between May and June. For example, in the July 10 CSL Round 18 home match, a 4-3 win over Yunnan Yukun, he directly created four goals by scoring twice and assisting twice. Regardless of the debate, the difference when he is on the pitch is obvious.

Zeca is not a traditional stationary striker who only waits in the box for service. He is strong in aerial duels, technically capable, able to drop back to receive the ball, move wide to support attacks, and link the midfield and forward lines. Most importantly, he can draw at least two defenders, creating space for players like Cressan, Vako and Xie Wenneng.

His injury effectively removes the team's most reliable attacking focal point.

Taishan's current forward options include Cressan, Kazaishvili (Vako), Xie Wenneng, Chen Pu, Li Xiaoheng, Mei Shuaijun, Lu Junwei and Peng Yixiang. Xie Wenneng is the most active domestic player on the wing, while Chen Pu and Li Xiaoheng focus more on running and movement. For tasks such as holding the ball with back to goal and winning the first aerial contact in the box, there is no second Zeca in the squad.

After 26 rounds, the standings look like this: Chengdu Rongcheng lead with 52 points, Dalian Yingbo are second with 40 points, Beijing Guoan, Yunnan Yukun and Qingdao West Coast all have 38 points, and Shandong Taishan sit sixth with 37 points. Taishan's 37 points are after a deduction; their record of 13 wins, 4 draws and 9 losses translates to 43 points, with the six-point gap coming from this season's deduction.

The maximum points difference among the five teams from second to sixth place is only three points.

Looking at Taishan's final four opponents: they visit Chongqing Tonglianglong on October 11, host Zhejiang on October 17, visit Wuhan Three Towns on October 24, and host Chengdu Rongcheng on November 8. Chongqing are currently on a ten-match winless run and eager to collect points; Wuhan Three Towns are fighting in the relegation battle; Zhejiang, with 28 points and ranked 10th, are also not an easy opponent; Chengdu Rongcheng are the league leaders with clear quality. None of the matches will be easy.

The situation is further complicated because the league paused after the 26th round on September 6 and will not resume until October 10, creating a break of more than 30 days. Tang Tian said at the post-match press conference that Zeca's injury was not optimistic, five players would be called up by the Asian Games team during the break, and B-team players also needed to compete for promotion qualification in the China League. Regardless of how many players the coaching staff can gather for training, they must find a way to prepare for the remaining matches.

Tang Tian became the first-team interim head coach on July 28 and immediately encountered this difficult situation.

A reporter who watched the entire match noted a detail: before the red card, Taishan were already struggling to play comfortably. After taking the lead, their midfield control declined, passing errors increased, and their wing attacks struggled to maintain pressure. Defensive weaknesses had already appeared, but Shenzhen failed to capitalize. In other words, the red card only exposed existing problems. Even with eleven players, the current Taishan side does not have the confidence to guarantee victories.

Taishan's reliance on Cressan is obvious. He can step up to score after 18 seconds, but he can also make one impulsive mistake that puts the whole team in difficulty. The double defensive midfield pairing of Madruja and Li Yuanyi lacks a player who can organize the tempo, causing frequent problems in transitions between attack and defense. After the red card, substitutions were also delayed by half a step, exposing weaknesses in in-game adjustments.

With the loss of Zeca, a player who can win aerial duels, link play and create space, and with the suspension of a key foreign player after a red card, Taishan's previously stable-looking top-four push has become difficult to predict.