🔥 Saulo Mineiro was on fire as he scored a spectacular hat-trick, leading Shanghai Shenhua to a thrilling 4-2 victory against Vissel Kobe in the AFC Champions League Elite. This win boosts Shenhua to seventh place in the East division, keeping their hopes alive for the knockout rounds.
The action kicked off rapidly with Mineiro heading home from Gao Tianyi's corner just 68 seconds into the match. The game intensified early when Kobe was down to 10 men in the 7th minute after Powell Obinna received a red card for a tough challenge on Andre Luis.
Shenhua didn't slow down, with Chen Jingyi doubling their lead in first-half stoppage time by finding the bottom corner with a deflected shot. The second half saw Mineiro continue his dominance, adding two more goals—one from a close rebound and another penalty after a handball by Takuya Iwanami.
Despite Kobe's late surge with strikes from Niina Tominaga and Haruya Ide, Shenhua held on to secure the crucial win. With this result, Shanghai Shenhua stands strong on 10 points, eyeing a spot among the top eight teams to advance further in the tournament. ⚽️✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
