Reigning champion Shandong Taishan was crushed by Henan Songshan Longmen 4-1 in the 2022 Chinese Super League (CSL) on Wednesday.
Shandong was shocked five minutes into the game, as the flashing opener was made by 32-year-old Brazilian striker Dourado, helping Henan take the lead. In the 17th minute, Jin Jingdao's shot in front of the goal helped the defending champion tie the game 1-1.
However, Henan kept the momentum in the first half to score two more goals with strikes from Fernando Karanga and Adrian Mierzejewski.
In the 49th minute, Shandong's Shi Ke received a red card and left the field. Seizing the opportunity, Karanga scored its second goal assisted by Zhong Jinbao in the 79th minute, sealing the victory for Henan.
Red cards were also shown in the game between Beijing Guoan and Chengdu Rongcheng on Wednesday.
The two teams both lost in the last round and were looking for a win. Jin Pengxiang, Samir Memisevic and Zhang Yuning scored to help Beijing win 3-2.
During the game, Chengdu's Abuduhamit, Gou Junchen and Zhou Dingyang received red cards.
In other games, Shanghai Shenhua beat Shanghai Port 2-0 while Dalian Pro defeated Guangzhou City 2-0 as well.