With the draw for the AFC Champions League finalized, Ulsan Hyundai unexpectedly gave Shandong Taishan a "sweet burden" as they met a seemingly weak opponent. Shandong Taishan's record in the Chinese Super League is not ideal, with only 7 wins in 16 matches, and if they lose, they will inevitably be teased by Shanghai Harbor.
In the 2023-2024 season of the Asian Champions League, the four teams representing Chinese soccer were Shanghai Seaport, Shandong Taishan, Zhejiang and Wuhan Sanzhen. Shanghai Seaport went down 2-3 to Baton Rouge United in the play-offs. Zhejiang and Wuhan Sanzhen also failed to break through from the group stage, bringing their AFC Champions League campaigns to a close. Although Shandong Taishan lost in the final round, they advanced to the knockout stage in a thrilling manner, becoming the only team in the Chinese Super League to make it to the knockout stage.
Given the East and West Asian divisions, Shandong Taishan will face an East Asian team in the knockout rounds. The draw showed that Kawasaki Frontale met Ulsan Hyundai, but due to the principle of avoidance, Kawasaki Frontale's opponent turned out to be Shandong Taishan. Kawasaki have played the Chinese Super League team 16 times, winning only 7 games. Ulsan Hyundai's "generosity" allowed Shandong Taishan to draw a relatively easy opponent.
Since the AFC Champions League was reformed in 2009, Kawasaki Frontale has played 16 times against Chinese Super League teams, with a record of 7 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses. Among them, 4 times with Beijing Guoan, with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses; 4 times with Guangzhou Evergrande, with a record of 2 wins and 2 draws; 2 times with Guizhou Renhe, all wins; 1 time with Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, 1 win and 1 loss; 4 times with Shanghai Harbor, 2 draws and 2 losses.
Looking back at the history of meetings with Chinese Super League (CSL) teams, it seems that Shandong Taishan has had a lot of luck against Kawasaki Frontale. Even so, Shandong Taishan will need to go all out to show their strength in their first matchup, and show their opponents that the Chinese Super League is not just about money and foreign aid, but also about being able to compete in the AFC Champions League. If Shandong Taishan is eliminated by Kawasaki Vanguard, it will become the laughing stock of Shanghai harbor.
Despite Shanghai Seaport winning the Chinese Super League title in the 2023 season, their performance has been accompanied by doubts. In particular, they failed to qualify for the main round of the AFC Champions League with a 2-3 defeat against Baton Rouge United in the AFC Champions League play-offs, a loss that became the focus of ridicule. Many fans mocked, "Is this the true level of the Super League champions?"
Nevertheless, Shanghai Seaport managed to win the title in the 2023 season. In the AFC Champions League match against Kawasaki Frontale, Shanghai Seaport showed its strength with a record of 2 wins and 2 draws in 4 meetings. It also shows that the results of soccer matches are often full of variables, with both unexpected victories and losses.
