Super League Play-offs Second Round: Dalian Ren v Chengdu Rongcheng
In the second round of the Super League play-offs on January 12, Dalian People faced Chengdu Rongcheng. Although the Dalian People scored first in the first round, they were sent off for a penalty and eventually drew 1-1. After the match, the Dalian People were fined a total of 830,000 RMB by the Football Association for their nonchalant behavior on the field.
In the second round, despite all the efforts of the Dalian Ren players, the total score was still 0-1 against Chengdu Rongcheng, and after 1550 days, the team fell into the Central League again. This season, Dalian People's record in the Chinese Super League is 6 wins, 1 draw and 15 losses, ranking 15th with 19 points, while Chengdu Rongcheng's record in the Chinese First Division is 21 wins, 8 draws and 5 losses, ranking 4th with 71 points. the two teams met in the play-offs and drew 1-1 in the first round, but Dalian People's team was once again fined by the Football Association for inappropriate behavior.
The match started with a fierce struggle, but both teams were cautious considering the result of the first leg draw. Huang Jiahui's long-distance shot hit the post, while Romulo's direct free kick threatened but was turned away by goalkeeper Zhang Chong. However, fate did not seem to be on Dalian's side. In the 72nd minute of the second half, Romulo's shot was accidentally refracted into the net, and Zhang Chong was unable to return the favor, as Chengdu Rongcheng won 2-1 with the goal and succeeded in reaching the Super League.
Data analysis showed that Chengdu was ahead in all key statistics such as ball possession and shots on goal. Especially in the number of shots on goal, Chengdu Rongcheng had 9 shots on goal ahead of Dalian Ren's 1. Both teams had the same number of corner kicks and yellow cards, while Dalian People had 6 more fouls than Chengdu Rongcheng.
The loss meant that Dalian soccer was relegated again after seven years.In 2014, Dalian Albion were relegated from the Chinese Super League, and did not return to the Premier League until 2017 with the Central League title. In the following three seasons, 2015, 2016 and 2017, Dalian failed to appear in the top flight. With the expansion of the Chinese Super League to 18 teams next season, Dalian soccer may be absent again, which is undoubtedly a huge blow to the soccer city of Dalian.
In fact, this season, the Dalian People's team used a lot of young players, the team also has a lot of Tong Lei, Tao Qianglong, Wang Jinxian and other outstanding young players. Dalian soccer is not a lack of talent, I hope that Dalian people can learn from this lesson, early return to the stage of the top league of the national football.
