On the evening of December 6, Beijing time, the whistle blew for the final match of the AFC Champions League group stage.
the three towns of Wuhan, subprovincial city and capital of Hubei province
The match against POSCO ended in a 1-1 draw, marking the end of their first trip to the AFC Champions League. Despite being in the fiercely competitive "Group of Death", Wuhan Sanzhen showed a lot of strength in several matches, but they still need to work hard against less powerful opponents in order to make a breakthrough in the next stage.
Wuhan Sanzhen almost turned the game around against last year's champions Urawa Red Diamonds, but Kante's strike just before the end made the tie a foregone conclusion. On the road, they were unlucky to lose to Pohang Steelers by one goal. However, back at home, Wuhan Three Town beat Hanoi 2-1 to earn their first ever AFC Champions League win.
But then, in the away match against Hanoi, Wuhan 3 Town exposed the weakness of "not being strong enough against weak opponents", which might be the key to their missing the initiative of promotion. It was a vivid lesson in how not to be underestimated when dealing with weaker opponents.
In the penultimate round of the competition, Wuhan Sanzhen faced Urawa Red Diamonds once again and equalized in the second half. Unfortunately, the other team scored again at the last minute, and Sanzhen suffered a 1-2 defeat. This game was crucial for the promotion situation, and the final match with Pohang Steelers became a battle of honor.
Despite the fact that the initiative for promotion had gone to someone else, Wuhan Sanzhen still showed a tenacious fighting spirit in the last game. Li Kuibe's oval goal gave Sanzhen the lead for a while, but the opponents still equalized the score. In the end, Sanzhen finished third in the group with 5 points from 1 win, 2 draws and 3 losses, completing their first ever trip to the AFC Champions League.
Despite failing to cross the threshold of promotion, Wuhan Sanzhen's performance in the AFC Champions League earned them respect and encouragement. This experience will undoubtedly become a valuable asset on the team's growth path.
