As the group stage of the AFC Champions League draws to a close, three teams from the Chinese Super League are traveling with their own goals in mind. Shandong Taishan can secure top spot in the group if they can secure an unbeaten record against Yokohama Marinos. Zhejiang, on the other hand, will need to beat Melbourne on the road to get a better goal difference. As for Wuhan Sanzhen, the match against Pohang Ironmen has turned into a battle for honor as they have already been eliminated early. Despite having a good squad and high hopes for the AFC Champions League at the beginning of the season, Wuhan Sanzhen failed to anticipate a league debacle and a premature exit from the AFC Champions League.
In the final match, Wuhan Sanzhen hosted K-League rivals Pohang Ironmen. Pohang Ironmen had a dazzling record in the group stage, winning the first five rounds of the tournament. In the match, Pohang Ironmen dominated the whole game, while Wuhan Sanzhen was passive but still grasped a lot of good chances. In the 49th minute of the second half, Jiang Zhipeng sent a precise pass to Korean player Lee Kyu-bo, and Wuhan Sanzhen took a 1-0 lead. However, in the 77th minute, Pohang Ironman Lee Ho Jae equalized the score. Towards the end of the match, the visiting team threatened continuously but missed good opportunities due to accidental mistakes, much to the regret of the fans. In the end, the two sides shook hands 1-1.
The tournament came to an end with Pohang Steelers advancing with an undefeated record of 5 wins and 1 draw. Defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds failed to become second in the group with only seven points and regretted their exit. Hanoi FC and Wuhan Sanzhen ended their journey with 6 and 5 points respectively. Embarrassingly, Wuhan Sanzhen ranked even lower than Vietnam in the group stage, finishing last in the group. The team's first trip to the AFC Champions League ended hastily with a disappointing result. The main problem was the absence of Malcolm and the departure of Stancho, which led to a significant weakening of the team.
Another reason for the poor results in the AFC Champions League is the team's lack of experience. Although there are a number of former Guangzhou players in the team who have experience in the AFC Champions League, the team as a whole is relatively young and the head coach is inexperienced. This AFC Champions League trip was a defeat for the defending Chinese Super League champions, but they suffered a heavy blow in the AFC Champions League. However, the team has maintained an undefeated home record in the AFC Champions League, and the away loss was mainly due to inexperience.
Next season, Wuhan Three Town will not have access to the AFC Champions League and investors have suspended their investments, but positive progress has been made in reforming the team. It is reported that the new shareholders have begun to contact, the future survival of no worries, but the investment may not be as strong as in the past. The journey to the AFC Championship is over, and it is still unknown when the team will fight again in the AFC Championship.
