With the 2022 CFA First Division League coming to a close yesterday afternoon, Qingdao Youth Islanders capped off the season with a spectacular comeback, topping Liaoning Shenyang 2-1 in the final round of the showdown to finish the season with three consecutive victories.
Looking back at the whole season, Youth Island debuted as a promoted horse in Tangshan, initially suffered three consecutive defeats, but then proved their strength with one victory after another. In the end, with 13 wins, 9 draws and 12 losses, they ranked ninth in the standings, not only accomplished the club's goal of "maintaining ten and competing for eight", but also in May 2020, after the transition from an amateur team to a professional team, showed remarkable progress.
Since joining the CFA Pro League, Youth Island has risen in strength year after year, achieving new breakthroughs every season. 2020 season, they jumped from eighth to second place, and 2021 season, they not only secured second place, but also successfully promoted through the play-offs, and next season's impact on the Chinese Super League seat seems to be no longer out of reach.
In the last five rounds of the season, Youth Island showed their unbeaten record with 3 wins and 2 draws. Despite finishing in ninth place, head coach Zhou Xin remained disciplined in each of his team's matches, fielding his star players to meet the challenge.
In the crucial match, every player in the starting lineup of Youth Island gave their best. Despite the fixed rankings, Coach Zhou Xin still takes each game seriously and strives for the best performance.
At the end of the season, the top three teams, Kunshan, Qingdao Hainiu and Nantong Zhiyun, were successfully promoted to the Premier League, while Beijing North Physical Fitness University and Beijing Institute of Technology were unfortunately relegated. Although the youth island failed to exceed the super, but with excellent performance, successfully "double kill" is regarded as the favorite to exceed the Sichuan Jiuniu.
In the game, 34-year-old "King of Bao Dao" Chen Bo Liang and 22-year-old Lu Yongtao scored key goals, showing their veteran experience and youthful vigor. Chen Bo-liang proved his indispensable role with 31 appearances, 4 goals and 7 assists, while Lu Yongtao left his name in the history of the Youth Island team.
The entire Youth Island team joined together to pull up a banner at the end of the new season's journey to express their heartfelt thanks to all the tournament staff. Coach Zhou Xin said that despite the season's ups and downs, he was satisfied with the team's overall performance and looked forward to creating more splendor next season.
