Despite the temporary hiatus in the Chinese Super League (CSL) season, a few teams are not resting, and are moving full speed ahead to make their mark in the AFC Champions League. In the first round of matches, the three Chinese Super League teams performed reasonably well, collecting one win, one draw and one loss, but the opponents were all Thai Super League and the Philippines, making it difficult to truly test their strength. Into the second round, Taishan, three towns, Zhejiang met Yokohama Mariners, Melbourne City, Pohang Steelers, these three teams are the strength of the group, the winner is expected to advance.
In the first match of the second round, Taishan welcomed Yokohama Marinos. As the only team to win in the first round, Taishan was in the spotlight. However, unfortunately, Taishan failed to capitalize on their chances and lost 0-1 on the road, with Yokohama Mariners earning three valuable points. They were closely followed by Wuhan Sanzhen, who, despite only earning a point in the first round, showed high morale at home and overpowered Urawa Red Diamonds for a while. Although they eventually drew with their opponents, their performance was good enough. However, in the second round, they scored a goal on the road against Pohang Steelers, but lost 1-3 due to a man leaving the field, so the difference in strength is obvious.
Zhejiang shouldered the hope of winning their first match, but the result was disappointing as usual as they lost 1-2 to Melbourne City, losing their second consecutive match and remaining at the bottom of the table. In the second round of the AFC Champions League, the three Chinese Super League teams suffered three consecutive defeats in two matches at home, which is not common in the history of the Chinese Super League. Even the Seaport, which has many big-name foreign aiders, failed to advance through the play-offs. Looking back at the first two rounds, there was only one win in six matches, showing a decline in the league's overall strength, even against Southeast Asian teams that failed to dominate.
The decline in the AFC Champions League results directly led to a reduction in the number of points in the Chinese Super League and a continued decline in the league ranking. At that time, the number of places in the AFC Champions League may be further reduced, which means that Chinese Super League clubs will have fewer and fewer opportunities to participate in the top Asian clubs' competitions, which is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the league.
If this situation continues, the attention of the Chinese Super League will drop as well. Therefore, Taishan, Sanzhen and Zhejiang will have to go all out in order to compete for a place in the AFC Champions League, both for themselves and for the league as a whole.
