The first round of the AFC Champions League group stage war, the three Chinese Super League Shandong Taishan, Zhejiang Greentown, Wuhan three town mood ups and downs, the record of 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, like a tragicomedy. A closer look at the game, the details determine success or failure.

As the defending champions of the Chinese Super League, Wuhan Three Town attracted 27,599 fans to the Wuhan Sports Center with its strong foreign players and many local internationals, making it the highest attended event in the group stage. The atmosphere in the home stadium was warm and the players were passionate. Zhang Xiaobin scored the first goal for Wuhan Sanzhen in the history of the AFC Champions League with a low shot from the penalty area line just 10 minutes into the match.

In the first half, Sanjin created many good opportunities to score but failed to capitalize on them. In the second half, Urawa Red Diamonds' Rinsen scored a header in the 55th minute to tie the game. Davidson then created a penalty kick and took it himself, helping Sampson to take the lead again. However, Sanjin's fitness dropped in the face of Urawa's fierce counter-attacks, and they conceded a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time, when Chinese Super League veteran Jose Cante's brilliant long-distance shot fixed the score at 2-2.

Although Sanjin had an impressive performance in this match, scoring two goals from nine shots and taking the lead twice. However, against J-League powerhouse Urawa Red Diamonds, Sanjin still had obvious deficiencies in terms of match experience and physical distribution. Even so, the 2-2 scoreline was an acceptable result for both sides.

In contrast, Zhejiang Greentown's fate was quite rough. In the match with Thai Super League powerhouse Buriram United, Zhejiang Greentown dominated in terms of ball possession and number of shots, but failed to capitalize on their chances. Buriram United scored 9 goals in 14 shots, while Zhejiang Greentown only saved face in the first half through Lennardo penalty kicks. In the second half, Zhejiang Greentown created many threats but failed to convert them into goals, and eventually suffered a 1-4 defeat.

Zhejiang Greentown doesn't have a long history in the AFC Champions League, having competed in the 2011 season with mediocre results. 2015 season saw them relegated to China's first division, and won't return to the Chinese Super League until 2021. Therefore, a tough loss against the experienced Buriram United was expected.

Although Wuhan Sanzhen and Zhejiang Greentown failed to win, Shandong Taishan managed to collect three points. Under dim lights and with an artificial turf even inferior to the Manila Domestic High School Stadium, Shandong Taishan fielded only 18 players, with the starters watching the game at home. Despite errors by defender Zhao Jianfei and goalkeeper Han Rongze that led to the loss of the ball, the 3-1 scoreline still satisfied the Taishan fans. It is worth mentioning that there were only 1,728 fans at the game, and with nearly 1,000 local Chinese cheering for the Taishan team, the Taishan team enjoyed the home field treatment.

As the most experienced team in the Chinese Super League's AFC Champions League, Shandong Taishan has suffered losses but has a respectable overall record, and this heritage ensures that Taishan maintains a stable mentality in the AFC Champions League. As a result, even if it is not the strongest team, Taishan will be able to beat its opponents easily. The hope of Chinese Super League teams to achieve good results in the AFC Champions League this season is still largely pinned on Taishan.

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