On the night of August 13th, the curtain came down on the 22nd round of the Chinese Super League, and the final battle came to a close. Here's a quick look at the night's results: Shanghai Harbour suffered a 3-4 defeat to Zhejiang despite playing at home; Meizhou Hakka narrowly beat Qingdao Hainiu 1-0 thanks to a goal; Changchun Yatai took down Chengdu Rongcheng 1-0; Beijing Guoan narrowly beat Nantong Zhiyun 1-0 away; Shanghai Shenhua visited Wuhan Sanzhen and got a valuable 2-1 win; Shandong Taishan got a 4-0 win; and Shanghai Shenhua got a 2-1 win over Wuhan Zhanzhen. Shanghai Shenhua won 2-1 in Wuhan Sanzhen; Shandong Taishan swept Cangzhou Lions 4-0; Henan won 1-0 at home against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger; and Dalian beat Shenzhen 2-1. As the matches came to an end, the standings and rankings were revealed.
On the table, Shanghai Harbor led the way with 16 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses, accumulating 52 points; Shanghai Shenhua followed with 12 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses, accumulating 41 points; Shandong Taishan ranked third with 10 wins, 8 draws and 4 losses, accumulating 38 points; Chengdu Rongcheng ranked fourth with 10 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses, accumulating 36 points; Zhejiang ranked fifth with 10 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses, accumulating 35 points; and Beijing Guoan tied with Zhejiang in sixth place with 9 wins, 8 draws and 5 losses, accumulating 35 points. Beijing Guoan, with 9 wins, 8 draws and 7 losses, accumulated 35 points, and Zhejiang team tied for sixth. It is worth mentioning that Shanghai Seaport, Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan are all located in the participation zone of the AFC Champions League, with Shanghai Seaport leading the way, while Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan are in the play-off zone.
The seventh to sixteenth ranked teams are Wuhan Sanzhen (8 wins, 9 draws, 5 losses, 33 points), Tianjin Jinmen Tiger (6 wins, 13 draws, 3 losses, 31 points), Changchun Yatai (8 wins, 7 draws, 7 losses, 31 points), Cangzhou Lions (8 wins, 6 draws, 8 losses, 30 points), Meizhou Hakka (7 wins, 4 draws, 11 losses, 25 points), Henan (5 wins, 7 draws, 10 losses, 22 points), Qingdao Hainiu (5 wins, 4 draws, 13 losses, 19 points), Dalian People (3 wins, 9 draws, 10 losses, 18 points), Nantong Zhiyun (2 wins, 10 draws, 10 losses, 16 points), Shenzhen (3 wins, 3 draws, 16 losses, 12 points). It is worth mentioning that Nantong Zhiyun and Shenzhen are currently in the relegation zone.
From these results, it is clear that despite the setbacks Shanghai Harbour suffered in the match, the team's overall strength is still strong and the lead is clear enough to meet the challenges ahead. Shanghai Shenhua, with a win and a boost of confidence, are close behind. Shandong Taishan returned to third place in the table after a crucial win. Henan, on the other hand, is one step closer to the relegation zone with this victory.
