SIPG held as record run comes to an end

HONG KONG, April 22, (RTRS): Shanghai SIPG’s record-breaking start to the Chinese Super League came to an end on Sunday evening as Vitor Pereira’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Tianjin Teda.

Frank Acheampong gave the visitors the lead just six minutes into the game only for Lu Wenjun to net from close range three minutes before the hour mark to salvage a point for SIPG, who had won their first six league games in a row.

“I’m not here to create new history or to break records,” said Pereira.

“I’m here to help the team win. It’s a pity we didn’t gain the three points but our players were working for it all the time. You could tell they were trying very hard.

“Of course, they wanted to score but sometimes they were a little impatient and didn’t organise the attack in the best way.”

Acheampong handed Teda the perfect start when he caught out the SIPG defence after a corner at the other end, running half the length of the pitch to latch on to Bai Yuefeng’s clearance and score beyond Yan Junling. SIPG then had a header from Yu Hai ruled out for offside after the referee called on the video assistant (VAR). The home pulled level 12 minutes into the second half when Lu applied the finishing touch to Oscar’s inswinging free kick.