The second round of the Chinese Super League was in full swing when a remarkable accident occurred. The much-anticipated Chengdu team for the new season suffered an unexpected defeat, a result that caught many media and fans by surprise. The Chengdu team, which was highly anticipated in the winter transfer window and expected to be the dark horse to win the championship, has now suffered a season-long ban, while the Cangzhou Lions, who were nearly relegated last season, have shown amazing strength, which is breathtaking to see. We have to admit that there is no weak team in the Chinese Super League, and the powerful strength of foreign aid can often determine the trend of the league.
Today, the Cangzhou Lions hosted Chengdu, who have been receiving a lot of attention from the media and fans for signing a number of powerful players in the winter transfer window, aiming for the AFC Champions League. However, in this match, Chengdu suffered a heavy blow. The Cangzhou Lions' 24-year-old foreign aid player Oscar was outstanding, creating many threats, and if not for the excellent play of Chengdu's goalkeeper Jantao, the score would have been much higher than 1-0. However, in the final moments of the game, Jantao's mistake allowed Oscar to score a goal.
In the first round of matches, Chengdu beat Qingdao Hainiu 2-0, while Cangzhou Lions lost 0-2 to Beijing Guoan. Judging from the performance of the two teams in the first round and the winter transfer signings, it seemed expected that Chengdu would beat Cangzhou Lions on the road, but to no one's surprise, Chengdu lost 0-1 to Cangzhou Lions in their first match of the new season. The loss puts Chengdu further away from the road to the Champions League in the new season.
The Cangzhou Lions' victory was a pleasant surprise for their fans, and 24-year-old Oscar was the biggest contributor to the win. The foreigner from the Democratic Republic of Congo has been playing in China for seven years now since he arrived in 2018. In China, Oscar is eligible for naturalization and at the age of 24, he is expected to play for the national team for many years.
Next, it will all depend on the decision of the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The Cangzhou Lions are not in a good financial situation, so if they want to naturalize Oscar, they still need to keep an eye on the developments of the Football Association. According to the latest national team list, players such as Li Ke, Ekerson, Jiang Guangtai and Fernando have been selected, which means the national team's naturalization policy has not stopped. Naturalization is undoubtedly a good choice as long as there are suitable foreign players. We expect Oscar to be the pride of the Chinese team in the future.
China's weaknesses will be remedied if the national team manages to naturalize Oscar and Shandong Taishan's potentially naturalized player Cressan. Oscar's naturalization will allow him to play directly in the 2026 World Qualifiers, while by the time Kressan is naturalized, the two will join forces to hit the 2030 World Cup. The dream of the Chinese men's soccer team to enter the World Cup may no longer be a distant fantasy.
