Wu Lei once again shone brightly in the Chinese Super League, scoring twice in a remarkable performance. In the 9th round of the league, Qingdao Hailei faced Shanghai Port at home. Wu Lei and Gustavo scored twice each, and Wang Shenchao also scored a goal for the team, as Shanghai Port won 5-0 away against Qingdao Hailei.
After this victory, Shanghai Port collected 18 points from 5 wins and 3 draws, scoring 21 goals and conceding 8, ranking third in the league table with one game in hand. Shanghai Port’s star player, Wu Lei, once again became the focus of the match, continuing to lead the top scorer’s list with 9 goals, far ahead of other foreign strikers.
Before this round, Qingdao Hailei scored 5 goals and conceded 7. Although their number of conceded goals is generally considered suitable for a title-contending team, their number of goals scored is relatively conservative, ranking low among the teams fighting to avoid relegation. Under normal circumstances, Hailei facing Haigang’s defense was undoubtedly a challenging task. Despite Qingdao Hailei’s positive start, Haigang quickly gained control as the match went on.
In the 27th minute, Vargas’s accurate long pass assisted Wu Lei’s breakaway goal, giving Haigang the lead. Just three minutes later, Xu Xin delivered a wonderful pass, and after Wu Lei quickly advanced on the right and crossed, Gustavo easily scored, putting Haigang 2-0 ahead. Then in the 60th minute, Oscar’s cross from the right provided Gustavo with a headed goal, further extending Haigang’s lead. In the 78th minute, Wang Shenchao caught Xu Xin’s free-kick and scored, making it 4-0 for Haigang. In the 87th minute, on a quick counter-attack from Haigang, Feng Jin made a through pass, and Wu Lei, with full determination, scored the goal that sealed the victory for Haigang, ending the match with a final score of 5-0.
Recalling the third round of this season, Haigang once scored seven goals in a match, although four were disallowed for offside, ultimately winning 3-1 against Henan. Now, in this match, Haigang actually “scored” 7 goals again, with two being disallowed for fouls. However, this did not affect their splendid victory.
Wu Lei has scored 9 goals in 8 matches this season, performing unpredictably despite previous speculation about a decline in his form. The current Wu Lei appears to be surpassing his personal best. Looking back at Wu Lei’s performance in 2018, he scored 27 goals in 29 Chinese Super League matches and won the Golden Boot. So far this season, having played 8 matches and scored 9 goals, his average goals per match have already exceeded his 2018 level. However, we cannot conclude that Wu Lei is stronger now than six years ago based solely on average goals per match, as the competitive atmosphere of the Chinese Super League has changed significantly since then.
Wu Lei’s performance this season is indeed impressive, especially his goal-scoring efficiency, which is astonishing. His goal record for the season is quite spectacular:
In the first round, Shanghai Port versus Wuhan Three Towns, Wu Lei contributed 2 goals. Then, in the third round against Henan, he scored again. In the fourth round, he scored twice against Beijing Guoan. In the sixth round, he achieved another 2-goal feat leading Shanghai Port to victory over Shandong Taishan. By the ninth round, facing Qingdao Hailei, Wu Lei scored two goals once more, helping his team to a big win.
In the 8 matches that have taken place, Wu Lei has scored in 5, achieving at least 2 goals in 4 of those matches.
Although the current Wu Lei might not be at his 2018 form, his importance to Shanghai Port FC seems to be greater than before. Back then, Shanghai SIPG FC had the robust support of Hulk, Oscar was in his prime years, and domestic players like Lv Wenjun, Wang Shenchao, and Cai Huikang were also pillars of the team. Now, it seems that at many moments, Shanghai Port FC relies heavily on Wu Lei’s individual ability.
His heading, shooting, and passing skills have all improved significantly, and the once considered one-dimensional Wu Lei now seems to be more versatile.
However, it must be mentioned that Wu Lei will be suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards in the upcoming World Cup qualifier match against Thailand, which is undoubtedly a huge loss for the team.
Today’s discussion topic is: How many goals can Wu Lei score this season? We look forward to seeing your predictions in the comment section.
