On October 25, the 2023/24 AFC Champions League group stage was in full swing. Shandong Taishan was away to Incheon United of the South Korean K-League, and after a 90-minute match, Taishan topped the group table with a 2-0 victory thanks to an outstanding performance. Meanwhile, Zhejiang won 2-0 at home against Kofu Fung Lam, and Wuhan Sanzhen beat Hanoi 2-1 in the previous round, three Chinese Super League teams performed well in this round, which made the fans feel more excited.
In the first round of the group stage of the 2017 AFC Champions League season, Chinese Super League (CSL) teams had won all their matches in a single round of the AFC Champions League. Shanghai SIPG, Jiangsu Suning and Guangzhou Evergrande were victorious. This time, Shandong Taishan faced South Korean giants Incheon United and achieved an equally convincing victory.
Although Shandong Taishan paid the price of injuries to three foreign players in their last Chinese Super League match, they remained undaunted on the road against a strong opponent. In the opening ten minutes, Taishan took control of the game with excellent skills and smooth coordination. In the second half, Cressan and Liu Binbin came on as substitutes, and Taishan locked up a 2-0 win.
Taesan had slightly less than 45% of the possession, but had more shots on goal than their opponents, with 15. It was a very satisfying game in terms of both process and result, and it was the first time in the history of the AFC Champions League that Taishan had won an away match against a Korean team.
Zhejiang's strength was obvious when they faced JSC B team Kofu Kazuhayashi. Lucas and Mu Xiekui scored 1 goal each and goalkeeper Zhao Bo made 6 heroic saves as Zhejiang won 2-0.
Wuhan Three Town have injected a shot in the arm into slumping Chinese soccer with a historic victory in the AFC Champions League. However, Thai Premier League side Pathum United were the unimpressive team in the AFC Champions League main round with three consecutive defeats. They managed to hold off their opponents from advancing to the main round with a 3-2 win over Shanghai Harbour in the play-offs.
Shanghai Harbour had a 15-point lead at the beginning of the season, but their recent record has been poor. Nevertheless, they still maintain a 5-point lead. In the next round, Shanghai Seaport will face Shandong Taishan at home, and fans all over China (except Seaport fans) expect Taishan to seize the opportunity and win the championship against all odds.
