The Chinese Super League has come to an end, and Shanghai Port has been crowned with glory and the second title in the team's history. The joy has been so overwhelming that the last two days have been filled with celebrations. However, amidst all the praise, we still need to look at ourselves and show our dominance.
But for Chinese Super League fans, Shanghai Port's glory and celebrations were hard to take in full stride. In the AFC Champions League play-offs, they unexpectedly lost to a mid-table Thai side and were swept aside at home, a defeat that undoubtedly cast a shadow over the joy.
The other three teams in the Chinese Super League (CSL) have made a big splash in the group stage of the AFC Champions League (AFC Cup), winning one after the other and puncturing Shanghai Port's lie of "abandoning Asia to protect the Super League". Shandong Taishan beat Incheon United 3-1 at home, achieving a double over the South Korean team, and even letting their opponents score a goal in extra time.
Although Shandong Taishan is controversial in the league, the victory in the AFC Champions League has undoubtedly done justice to the Chinese Super League and saved face for the league. In contrast, the new Chinese Super League champions took the initiative to give up the AFC Champions League in order to protect the name of the league champion and the controversy.
From Shandong Taishan's AFC Champions League win streak to Shanghai Port's celebrations, fans have their own answers as to who is the orthodox representative of the Chinese Super League. For a team that is afraid to play in the AFC Champions League, even if they dominate in the domestic league, they can only be considered as a "dominant team". As the fans say, they are fully capable of beating Japanese and Korean teams in the AFC Champions League.
The gold content of this season's Chinese Super League (CSL) champions has undoubtedly been questioned, with controversy shrouding behind many of the scores. In particular, Shanghai Port has undoubtedly become the most controversial team in the Chinese Super League, as the players even insulted the fans when they were defeated at home by the defeated Thai team in the AFC Champions League play-offs.
