The 2022 season of the Chinese Super League came to a close on December 31, and a finale full of variables played out on that day. Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, the original leader of the game, suddenly announced their withdrawal, and Wuhan Sanzhen team did not encounter strong opponents at the last minute, beating Shandong Taishan team only by goal difference, locking up the trophy in advance, which is also the first top-level league title in the history of Wuhan, Hubei soccer.
Dramatic ending, final "lay-up".
Since the professionalization of Chinese soccer in 1994, the Chinese Super League has produced 27 champions, with Dalian Shide and Guangzhou Evergrande tying for the top spot in history with eight titles each. However, this year's championship was undoubtedly one of the most dramatic in history. The abandonment of Beijing Guoan and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers allowed Wuhan Sanzhen to win the title "on the back foot" with almost no resistance.
First Round Meeting with Shandong Taishan
Prior to the final round of matches, Wuhan Sanzhen and Shandong Taishan were tied for first place with 24 wins, 3 draws, 6 losses and 75 points respectively. With a goal difference of 5, Wuhan Sanzhen took the initiative in the championship. However, the result of the match was revealed at the last minute.
Due to the epidemic, both Beijing Guoan and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers suffered from massive infections, and both teams chose to forfeit their matches in the last round. For this round, the two teams are still unable to put together their basic lineups. After careful consideration, the two teams decided to abandon the game again, and the Chinese Super League officials also confirmed this decision. As a result, Wuhan Sanzhen and Shandong Taishan won the final round with a score of 3:0, and the score was raised to 78 points, with Wuhan Sanzhen winning the championship on goal difference.
Promoted horse writes the legend of three consecutive titles
Founded in 2014, Wuhan Sanzhen Football Club is an emerging force in Chinese soccer. Starting from the 2018 Chinese Championship, after the experience of the Chinese B and Chinese A, it successfully broke through to the Super League in 2021. In four years, Wuhan Three Town has completed a three-stage jump at an astonishing speed, leaving the outside world in awe.
What's even more incredible is that since 2020, Wuhan Three Town have won three consecutive league titles at different levels, as champions of China B, China A and China Super League. In particular, winning the title as a promoted team this season has written a Chinese version of the Kaiserslautern myth.
A Time to Celebrate Victory
This season, Wuhan Three Town's performance is perfect. Even if it wasn't for the 3:0 in the last round, they scored a staggering 88 goals, topping the 18 teams in the Chinese Super League, with an average of nearly 2.7 goals per game. Despite not conceding the fewest goals, they are still tied with Zhejiang and Chengdu Rongcheng in the bottom two.
If not for the scheduling, Wuhan Sanzhen almost set a new record for the longest 13-game winning streak in Chinese Super League history. As a newly promoted team, being able to win 12 consecutive games is enough to make Jingchu fans proud.
The struggles of a group of soccer players
Next year, Wuhan Sanzhen will embark on the journey to the Asian Championship. In an interview, Wuhan Three Town's deputy general manager and captain Yu Chen said that this championship is the result of everyone's joint efforts. He especially thanked the team's internal and external reinforcements Malcolm, Stancho, Davidson, Ren Hang, Xie Pengfei and Liu Tenzai for their contributions, as well as the perseverance and dedication of Wuhan's local players from Hubei province, such as Deng Zhuoxiang, Wu Fei and Xiong Fei.
Enthusiasm of the fans in the three towns of Wuhan
Yu Chen said that despite winning the championship, the team still has some deficiencies. After the season, the team will summarize and try to do better in offense and defense to live up to the expectations of the fans.
Next season, Wuhan Three Town will face a two-front war, defending the Chinese Super League title and representing the Chinese Super League in the Asian Championship. They hope to achieve good results on both fronts, especially as the representative of the Chinese Super League team in the Asian Championship, which will be a special honor. They will also utilize this opportunity to learn from high-level Asian powerhouse teams and try to show the style of Wuhan Three Towns!
