In the fourth round of the AFC Champions League group stage, Shandong Taishan defeated Incheon United 3-1 at home, successfully realizing a double kill against the Korean team. Currently, Taishan has nine points with three wins and one loss, and the prospect of promotion is bright. The two consecutive victories and the double killings of their opponents have undoubtedly had a significant impact on the pattern of the Chinese Super League, like a butterfly effect chain reaction.
Looking back at this season's Chinese Super League, Shanghai Port seemed to have won the title in the arms of Taishan as both teams suffered red cards in the final two rounds of the Tian Tian Shan match and ended up shaking hands 1-1, thus locking up the title ahead of schedule for Shanghai Port. However, Shanghai Port were knocked out of the tournament by Thailand before claiming the AFC Champions League play-off qualification.
Now, Baton Rouge United, the team that eliminated Shanghai Port, has suffered repeated defeats in the AFC Champions League, losing all four matches and being eliminated early. The fact that such a team was able to eliminate Shanghai Port and the Chinese Super League Championship team shows that Shanghai Port was not unable to defeat their opponents, but chose to voluntarily give up the AFC Champions League. Such a decision undoubtedly caused great harm to Chinese fans.
Shandong Taishan completely debunked Shanghai Port's lie of abandoning the AFC Champions League by doubling up their opponents in the group stage of the competition. In order to preserve their Super League status, Taishan even considered giving up their participation in intercontinental matches outside the region. This self-preservation-first team is destined to leave a mark of shame in the history of the Chinese Super League.
However, some fans have pointed out that even the most loyal fans dare to humiliate the team, much less rely on them to win honors in the out-of-competition. In the latest list of the national soccer team, Shanghai Port has become an international team, with players who we thought were not fit to be in the national team accidentally making it.
For a Chinese Super League (CSL) team, Taishan's style of play is worthless. Even if they swept the board in the Chinese Super League, the fact that they didn't even make it past the play-offs in the AFC Champions League makes the Chinese Super League title worthless. Even in the eyes of the vast majority of Chinese Super League fans, the teams that participated in the AFC Champions League, including Zhejiang and Wuhan Sanzhen, are worthy of respect. And Shanghai Port's lies have finally been uncovered.
