At the top of the capital, Beijing Guoan and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger withdrew from the match on December 30th due to players' health reasons, and the Chinese Super League repeated the "Kaiserslautern Miracle". Newcomers Wuhan Sanzhen won the championship and became the ninth king in the history of the Chinese Super League.
Screenshot of the official announcement from the CFL.
Eleven years ago, Guangzhou won the championship as a "promoted horse" and started the "Golden Dollar Era" of the Chinese Super League. However, Guangzhou was relegated not long ago and has returned to the place where the dream started.
On the same day, Wuhan Three Town beat Zhejiang 2:0 in a crucial battle, and the Chinese Super League trophy is now firmly in the bag this season.
History is similar but different.
On the evening of Dec. 27, Wuhan Three Town hosted Zhejiang in the 33rd round of the 2022 Chinese Super League season, with Stanciu and Davidson contributing to a 2-0 win. CNA reporter Zhang Chang captured the scene.
Four-year triple jump, three-year triple crown
Our first acquaintance with the three towns of Wuhan goes back to the early 2020s. During the epidemic, they were still a China B team, and it took 79 days to complete the assembly. More than 100 players from the overseas ladder team were stranded in the mountains of Spain, which was reported in depth by ChinaNews.com.
Despite a serious impact on the pre-season preparation period, Wuhan Three Town's first team managed to win the First Division title that year. The overseas ladder not only returned home safely, but also joined the first team and gained valuable opportunities.
The following year, Wuhan Three Town in the first league all the way up, won the championship to realize the super. This season's Super League, as a "promoted horse" their momentum is not reduced, the introduction of the "king of the standard" Stanciu and other powerful foreign aid, as well as Liu Dianzha, Xie Pengfei, Gao Junyi, Deng Hanwen and other top domestic domestic aid, almost all the way to the lead, won the Super League Championship.
Wuhan Sanzhen's version of the "Kaiserslautern Myth" has more gold than Guangzhou's return to the Chinese Super League from the Central League at the time.
Wuhan Sanzhen beat Zhejiang 2:0. Photo by Zhang Chang, CNA, capturing the moment of the over-ball breakthrough.
The road to power is not a straight one.
The rise of Wuhan Three Town has been rapid, but it has not been a smooth one. During the period of the Central League, every game under the tournament system of competition was like a duel, especially in the key stages.
In the first half of this season's Chinese Super League, Wuhan Three Town led for a while, but were also overtaken by Shandong Taishan. They lost to Henan in the crucial match for the title and were challenged by Changchun Yatai and Chengdu Rongcheng.
Fortunately, Shandong Taishan also made numerous mistakes. During this period, they lost to Chengdu Rongcheng, Cangzhou Lions and Shanghai Port, giving Wuhan Sanzhen room for error.
In the match against Zhejiang, despite a storm of pre-match protests against the CFA, the team withstood the pressure and won the crucial battle 2-0 to take control of the title.
On the evening of Dec. 27, Wuhan Three Town won 2-0 at home against Zhejiang in the 33rd round of the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League, with goals from Stancho and Davidson. Photo by Zhang Chang, China News Service.
Expecting the myth to last longer
Wuhan Sanzhen created the Chinese Super League version of the "Kaiserslautern Myth" and became a new member of the Chinese Professional Football League championship team. It became the ninth Chinese Super League champion team after Shenzhen, Dalian, Shandong Taishan, Changchun Yatai, Beijing Guoan, Guangzhou, Shanghai Port and Jiangsu.
This result was unexpected. Before the season, it was expected that Wuhan Sanzhen would be the dark horse, but winning the championship was indeed a surprise.
I remember when I chatted with the Wuhan Three Town staff before the season, the other team's goal was mainly to get a foothold in the Chinese Super League. Even among the signings at the time, many domestic players felt the platform was too small to join.
Maybe it was just a modest statement at the time, or maybe it has grown to be a surprise to the three towns of Wuhan.
Wuhan Three Town won 2-0 at home against Zhejiang in the 33rd round of the 2022 Chinese Super League on the evening of Dec. 27th. Photo by Zhang Chang, China News Service.
Times make heroes. For the three towns of Wuhan, the road to rise is in the downward phase of the Golden Age.
For example, Guangzhou is no longer strong this season due to the parent company's business problems. Shanghai Harbor was in a slump in the first half of the season, and Beijing Guoan is being renewed.
In the end, the championship became a two-way dance between Wuhan Sanzhen and Shandong Taishan. While survival issues plagued other teams, they had relatively little ambition in this regard.
Of course, champions need to be based on strong strengths. Wuhan Three Town have made just the right signings for the money. Malcolm, the powerful center forward brought in this season, has played a key role in the Chinese Super League and is currently the top scorer. Stancho has also become the pivot of the team's midfield and has adapted quickly to the Chinese Super League.
In addition to Liu Dianzheng, Xie Pengfei, He Chao, Deng Hanwen, Gao Junyi and other internal reinforcements, they were brought in almost in a "bottom-feeding" manner without much competition, which was almost unimaginable last year. Under the coach Pedro's guidance, they were quickly integrated into the team.
Data chart: Tianjin Jinmen Tigers played against Wuhan Sanzhen in the 22nd round of the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League on the evening of Oct. 8, and Jinmen Tigers defeated Wuhan Sanzhen 0:1. Photographed by Luo Yunfei, a reporter from China News Service.
Wuhan, as an important part of China's soccer landscape, has produced many soccer talents. Now crowned Chinese Super League champions for the first time, Wuhan deserves its name.
After becoming the champion team, Wuhan Sanzhen will also take more responsibilities. With the support of a complete ladder, I hope the championship team will become a platform for more young players to pursue their dreams and realize them, and develop step by step, steadily and rationally in the long term, so as to make more contributions to Chinese soccer.
Congratulations again to the Wuhan Tri-Town team!
