Years and years of shouting for battle and defeat today, Guoan's team has basically withdrawn from the title race with the halfway point of the schedule after a heated race at the beginning of the season. Manager Xie Feng handed in his resignation after the defeat, and this painful loss seems to have been the trigger. However, Guoan still needs to calmly summarize the situation and strive for relatively satisfactory results in the remaining season. It is worth mentioning that local scorer Zhang Yuning is in the top three scorers with seven goals, while leading the domestic scorers list. Giving him more chances to shoot and letting him continue to score goals is not only an incentive for him personally, but also a motivation for the team to move forward.
Wuhan Three Town are leading the league with nine consecutive victories and a jump to 34 points after a crucial win. The feat has led to suspicions that they, as champions of the Central League, have become the favorites to win the Chinese Super League.
Chengdu came out strong with four straight wins, and all four newcomers made it to the Elite Eight.
In the 16th round match, Guangzhou failed to preserve their victory in the second half with a full Chinese squad, although captain Wei Shihao was the first to break through with a free kick. Chengdu Rongcheng scored two goals in four minutes to complete the turnaround, with Felipe and Feng Zhuoyi scoring, Felipe breaking the goal drought and Feng Zhuoyi scoring three goals. With this momentum, Chengdu Rongcheng's winning streak is expected to continue and Shanghai Shenhua will be their next opponent.
Chengdu Rongcheng has won four consecutive matches with 18 points after gaining three points, moving up to 6th place.All four promoted teams have made it to the last eight this season, with Wuhan Sanzhen leading the way, and Zhejiang, Chengdu Rongcheng, and Meizhou Hakka in the 5th to 7th places, showing fierce competition.
It is worth mentioning that among the top eight teams, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua are traditional strong teams, Henan Songshan Longmen and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger even faced relegation crisis last year. This once again proves that the pattern of the Chinese Super League has changed dramatically.
The title race may become a three-way race with three teams battling it out across the board.
In another match related to the title trend, Shandong Taishan continued to keep up with Wuhan Sanzhen with a 2-0 win over Cangzhou Lions with goals from foreigners Kressan and Moises to make it six wins in a row.
Shandong Taishan, with 30 points, are 4 points behind Wuhan Sanzhen, but their strong performance has put pressure on the promoted team and added suspense to the direct confrontation between the two sides. In this situation, the meeting between the two teams may decide the return of this season's Chinese Super League title.
Shandong Taishan's lineup is gradually becoming complete, with Cressan's consecutive goals, Fellaini's comeback, Guo Tianyu's recovery, and Sun Junhao's imminent return to the team, which will strengthen their fighting force. In this case, they may be able to stop Wuhan Sanzhen.
Of course, besides Wuhan Sanzhen and Shandong Taishan, Henan Songshan Longmen can't be ignored either. They have a powerful attacking group of foreigners, and Karanja is expected to be a strong contender for the Golden Boot as he is close to Wuhan Sanzhen's top three scorers on the scoring list.
Henan Songshan Longmen will play the 12th round match against Meizhou Hakka on August 13th. They have won three consecutive matches recently, and after seeing Wuhan Sanzhen and Shandong Taishan win, they will also aim for a fourth consecutive victory. Unsurprisingly, the fight for the Chinese Super League title this season will become a "Three Kingdoms Showdown" between them, with each game being an open and shut battle.
