As the 17th round of Chinese Super League (CSL) matches came to an end, the clouds changed on the field. Cangzhou Lions defeated Chengdu Rongcheng 2-1 at their home ground, failing to jump up to a higher ranking but maintaining a stable 10th position. Rongcheng, on the other hand, was still in third place despite the defeat.
Shanghai Shenhua beat Meizhou Hakka 2-1 at home, widening the gap with the seaport to six points and firmly occupying the second position. Meizhou Hakka suffered their first loss in four rounds and slipped to the twelfth position in a worrying situation.
Qingdao Sea Cowboys beat Henan by 2-0 at home, two consecutive victories make the relegation situation bright, and currently ranked 11th. Henan, although temporarily ranked 13th, is facing the crisis of falling into the relegation zone.
Cangzhou Lions sent four foreigners to start this campaign, all focusing on the attacking line, while three foreigners from Chengdu Rongcheng, Felipe, Palacios and Richard, also took the field together.
Owusu made a breakthrough on the left with his individual skills just five minutes into the match, giving Cangzhou Lions a dream start at 1-0. However, Mutalifu's header hit the crossbar, and Tang Miao's precise cross allowed Felipe to head home, and Cangzhou quickly equalized. At the end of the half, the two sides were tied at 1-1.
In the second half, Cangzhou Lions made a comeback, Zhao Hongliu's accurate sweeping shot put his team in the lead again, and Locadia grabbed the ball to extend the score to 2-1.Then, Felipe fell down in the penalty area, and the VAR ruled no penalty kick. Towards the end of the match, Felipe was shown a red card, turning two yellows into a red.
