Soccer Feast: Nantong Zhiyun's Struggles and Harbor's Winning Streak Miracle
Although Nantong Jiyun is known as "the title of the Harbor Friendship Army", it could not prevent the tragedy from happening. A 1-8 loss made Nantong Zhiyun's position as vice-chairman unbreakable. The seemingly unstoppable Nantong Zhiyun, like Seaport, defended their title, while Shandong fans witnessed Seaport's 14th consecutive win with a score of 8-1. Whether or not Taishan can continue this streak depends on the performance of Shanghai Shenhua.
After the game, Coach Harbour said bluntly, "Victory is not bestowed by others." It was a harsh but revealing statement. Seaport boasts 72 goals this season, surpassing the 61 goals that won the title last season, and even surpassing the 68 goals that Guangzhou Evergrande scored to win the 2019 season before the epidemic. After beating Qingdao Hainiu 5-0 in the last round, Seaport has won 13 games in a row. Perhaps it is the pride of this winning streak that drives Seaport to be more courageous in front of Shandong Luneng and Guangzhou Evergrande.
However, in 2006, Shandong Luneng had a glorious 13 consecutive victories and topped the table six rounds ahead of schedule. Now, this record has been broken by the harbor. The next question is whether the record of winning the title six rounds ahead of schedule can be rewritten. This will depend on two things: Harbor's own performance, which is in good shape and has amazing attacking power; and the situation of their competitors. Beijing Guoan and Shandong Taishan are unstable, while Chengdu Rongcheng lacks stability, leaving Harbour's rivals to be the only teams in the same city.
The Seaports currently top the table with 57 points from 21 matches, 18 wins and 3 draws, and a whopping 72 goals in the Chinese Super League. Shanghai Shenhua, on the other hand, is right behind them with 52 points from 16 wins and 4 draws in 20 matches, and has conceded only 8 goals in 20 matches, making them the sturdiest defensive team in the Chinese Super League. The defense and offense of these two teams are like a spear and a shield, guarding the undefeated record together. With 9 rounds left in the league (10 for Shenhua), there is no doubt about the title, and even a direct match between the two teams will decide the final winner. The biggest question now is whether this record can be broken.
Can Taishan bounce back against Shenhua's 0-6 defeat? It will all be revealed in the upcoming matches.
