Legends on Top of the SPL V After a 2-1 Win vs. Marlins

It’s always great to be back at the Jinqiao Golden Bridge field, where the Lions’ footprints run deep. The field was excellent and the weather perfect—a blue sky, calm conditions, and 15 degrees—just what we needed for our clash against the Marlins. We faced our old rivals with a win in sight, especially after last year’s two defeats; this time, we were determined to secure all three points to stay in the title race.

We had a large, motivated squad despite a few regulars missing. Coach Skiv devised a clever game plan, although his lineup announcement raised eyebrows when we noticed he had put 12 players on the pitch!

The match started strongly. Within the first five minutes, the Marlins pressed forward and nearly scored when one of their players broke through our defense, but his effort went wide. Their aggressive approach created extra space on the wings. Seungbok delivered a brilliant ball over an Emerald defender, setting Mamdouh free on the left. His cross found Cyril, who slotted in a well-placed shot to give us the 1-0 lead—a very promising start!

In the second 20 minutes, our spirits received a boost with the return of Patrick, who had been away on business in Shanghai. Hira-san, operating on the right wing, was in excellent form, providing incisive passes and dangerous crosses. The buildup to our second goal began when Paul, our keeper, passed to Jack, who found Peter free in midfield. Peter then spotted Hira-san sprinting down the right. His perfect pass reached Hira-san, who played a quick ball to Pierre. Pierre beat his defender to score our second goal!

At halftime, the mood was upbeat, but we knew that against the Marlins, you can’t let your guard down—they’ll fight until the final whistle. In the third 20 minutes, the Marlins increased their pressure. While we managed some shots and corners, our main focus shifted to defending. The Marlins, too, won a few corners. They were awarded a free kick at the edge of our box, and an easy goal followed when James, the Marlins midfielder with his powerful left foot, found the back of the net to make it 2-1.

For the final quarter, we knew we had to defend as a complete unit. We were forced to make several changes as over five players had already received yellow cards, and we didn’t want to be reduced to 10 men. The referee’s card decisions were controversial—Julian had to leave the field with a knock to the nose, and Peter suffered a blow to the head without a card being shown. Another free kick was conceded, but luckily the ball sailed over our goal. We experienced some nerve-wracking moments in front of our goal, and on one rare counter, Peter set Pierre free; however, the Marlins’ keeper rushed out and managed to clear the ball just in time.

In the final five minutes, we fought for every ball. When the final whistle blew, we were relieved and overjoyed to claim a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Marlins.

[ SPL V ] Shanghai Marlins FC 1-2 Shanghai Lions FC

After the match, we expressed our gratitude to our injured players and even had our mascot, Coconut, come out to support us. And, of course, it was beer time—nothing beats celebrating with a cold one after a great match!