As the fifth round of the AFC Elite League group stage came to an end, the battlefield shifted and the rankings were updated, and on November 27th, a fierce battle took place in the capital, marking a new round of competition for the rankings.
In this round of matches, the three teams from our Super League had a respectable performance with 2 wins and 1 loss. Taishan narrowly beat Johor 1-0 at home, with Zeca hammering home the winner and Wang Dalei guarding the victory with solid defense; Port turned back Ulsan Hyundai 3-1 with a hat-trick from Vargas, but the tenacity of their opponents was still impressive; and Shenhua were unable to break down Gwangju FC's defense, and suffered a regrettable 0-1 defeat.
After five rounds of group stage action, Kobe Victory lead the table with 13 points after four wins and a draw, followed by Gwangju FC with 12 points. Yokohama Mariners are third with 10 points, while Kawasaki Frontale are fourth with nine points. CSKA 3, Johor and Buriram United 5 are all in fifth place with seven points. Taishan are seventh with seven points and Pohang Steelers are 10th with six points. The competition for qualification spots in the group stage was extremely tight. Ulsan Hyundai are at the bottom of the table with five defeats, while Central Coast Mariners are at the bottom of the table with only one point, and are basically out of the group.
In the upcoming next round, Taishan will face Kawasaki Striker, and the match will start on December 4, with Taishan playing on the road. It is worth mentioning that Cressan will not be able to participate in this match as he accumulated three yellow cards due to the yellow card he received in last night's match.
