SUZHOU, China, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai SIPG progressed to the semifinals of the 2020 Chinese Super League, eliminating city rivals Shanghai Greenland Shenhua on penalties after a 1-1 draw in their quarterfinal second leg match on Friday.
The two sides had played out a 0-0 draw in last week's first leg tie, but SIPG lost starting goalkeeper Yan Junling to injury, so U-23 player Chen Wei stood between the sticks for Friday's game.
Shenhua pressed high from the start, trying to use their aggression and tempo to good effect, with Wen Jiabao and Zhang Lu testing Chen.
Shenhua continued to press and Bi Jinhao's header was denied by Chen, while at the other end Marko Arnautovic's effort was blocked by a defender.
Shenhua had a strong penalty appeal before the break when Bi went down in the box, but referee Ma Ning waved play on.
Into the second half, Bi almost scored minutes after the restart, but his attempt took a slight deflection off He Guan which diverted the ball onto the upright.
Hulk broke the deadlock for SIPG in the 55th minute, as the Brazilian hitman converted a penalty after Aaron Mooy was charged down by Aidi Fulangxisi.
Shenhua then threw on Giovanni Moreno, Miler Bolanos, and Cao Yunding to try to force an equalizer, and the change worked in the dying minutes, with substitute Sun Shilin's blockbuster from outside the box leveling the scores.
In extra-time, Shenhua goalkeeper Zeng Cheng played heroics on 99 minutes as he performed a one-handed save to parry away Li Shenglong's volley from close range.
With no further goals, the game went to a penalty shoot-out, and while SIPG scored all five of their efforts, Moreno missed the crucial spot-kick for Shenhua to see his team eliminated.
SIPG will take on the winner of the quarterfinal between Jiangsu Suning and Chongqing Dangdai, with the tie finely balanced after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. Enditem
