In the final chapter of June in Chengdu Rongcheng, a no-holds-barred home matchup kicked off at the Rongcheng Sports Center. In the 12th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), the match between Rongcheng and Jinmen Tigers ended with a score of 0-0, while the core players of Rongcheng's team such as Romulo and Kim Hin-Woo did not play.
However, Rongcheng's undefeated gold remains standing, having gone undefeated for 26 consecutive rounds. This achievement surpasses the Chinese Super League record of undefeated streak with a draw set by Guangzhou Evergrande in 2015!
In the next round of matchups on June 29, Rongcheng will go on the road to Shenzhen to challenge for the sole possession of that record.
Tonight's Phoenix Hill Sports Park is still packed, and the fans are as enthusiastic as the summer sun. In the circle of friends, the undefeated legend of Rongcheng is once again hotly debated.
In the matchup between Rongcheng and Jinmen Tigers, although Rongcheng is ranked second in the Chinese Super League (CSL) with six wins and five draws, while Jinmen Tigers is ranked fourth with four wins and seven draws, the match was overshadowed by the withdrawal of Rongcheng's star player, Romulo, from the game with a serious injury.
Romulo's absence was certainly a big blow to Rongcheng. Although he took three points in the "Tiger's Mouth" action at home in the harbor, he also paid the price - Feng Zhuoyi was sent off with a red card in the second half, and Romulo was diagnosed with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which will require surgery and a long period of recuperation.
According to Red Star News, Romulo initially considered going back to Brazil for surgery, but teammates Tang Miao and Gan Chao in Germany suggested that he go to Germany for better recovery. Fortunately, the team doctor specializes in orthopedics and can help ease the injury with conservative methods before Romulo's surgery.
Even under the best-case scenario, Romulo will be out for at least a few months and possibly the entire season. Hibiscus fans will be expressing their condolences for Romulo in a variety of ways before tonight's game.
The "Red Blades" fan club will create a Romulo song for Romulo and post a video of the song on their official account. In the stands, fans used red and white plastic bags to spell out the words "R10" (Romulo No. 10) Tifo, and in the 10th minute, the whole stadium shouted Romulo's name in unison, which was a shocking and warm scene.
Fenghuang Mountain Sports Park also welcomed a special group of spectators tonight - more than 500 frontline urban construction workers. They are the skilled "Chengdu craftsmen", the sanitation workers who beautify the city environment, the construction workers who energize the city, and the hard-working takeaway and courier boys. They sang "My People, My Country" and cheered for the city.
At 19:06 pm, the professional soccer stadium Phoenix Hill Sports Park, the song resounded. A song of my people, my country fluttered in the 10,000-person arena, and the city's front-line builders waved the five-star red flag in their hands, their eyes firm and their voices resonant.
Tong Dao, a 62-year-old sanitation worker, publicized the sound of My People, My Country as he waited to enter the stadium. He said he was healed by the encouragement and warmth, which he hoped to pass on to every athlete, spectator, and all the lovely people in the city through the sound of his instrument.
What does it mean to be undefeated for 26 consecutive rounds in the Chinese Super League? Since the establishment of the CSL in 2004, only Guangzhou Evergrande at the peak of the "Evergrande Dynasty" (Guangzhou Evergrande won the CSL and AFC Champions League in 2015) has achieved this feat.
In 2015, Guangzhou Evergrande, under the leadership of Lippi's coaching staff, had new and old international players such as Zeng Cheng, Feng Xiaoting, Liu Jian, Li Xuepeng, Rong Hao, Zhang Linmiao, Zheng Zhi, Zhao Xueri, Zheng Long, Yu Hanchao and Song Lin. Foreigners included Kim Yingquan, Paulinho, Gaolat, Robinho, Ackerson and Allan (Ackerson and Allan were not yet naturalized at the time). They suffered their first league defeat in the fourth round of the 2015 season after a 1-2 defeat away to Henan Jianye, but in the following 26 rounds of matches, Guangzhou Evergrande achieved an undefeated record of 17 wins and 9 draws, setting a record of 26 consecutive rounds of undefeated matches in the Chinese Super League.
