As the fifth round of the group stage of the AFC Elite League came to an end, the battle was resumed, and a new pattern had emerged in the table at the Beijing moment on November 27th.
In this round of matches, the Chinese Super League giants delivered two wins and one loss. Taishan won 1-0 against Johor, with Zeca's strike and Wang Dalei's solid goalkeeping; Port turned back Ulsan Hyundai 3-1 with Vargas' hat-trick, but their opponent was still tired; and Shenhua lost 0-1 against Gwangju FC.
After five rounds of intense fighting, Kobe Victory lead the table with four wins and one draw, topping the table with 13 points, followed by Gwangju FC with 12 points, Yokohama Mariners and Kawasaki Frontale in third and fourth place with 10 and nine points respectively. Five teams are tied on seven points, including the Super League Three, Johor and Buriram United. Taesan are in 7th place with 7 points and Pohang Ironmen are in 10th place with 6. The group stage is getting tighter and tighter. Ulsan Hyundai are at the bottom of the table with five defeats, while Central Coast Mariners are second from bottom with one point and both teams are almost out of the running.
Taishan will face Kawasaki Frontale in the upcoming sixth round, and the match will start on December 4, with Taishan playing on the road. It is worth noting that Cressan will not be able to take part in this match as he has accumulated three yellow cards due to the yellow card he received in the previous match.
