At the end of the third matchday of the second round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) on April 22, two exciting matchups took place. Shanghai Seaport had a rollercoaster ride against Shenzhen, winning 3-2 in a thriller, while Changchun Yatai won 3-2 in a thrilling battle against Dalian Ren. Now, Changchun Yatai, Shanghai Seaport and Shanghai Shenhua all boast two consecutive victories in the table, while last year's third-ranked Zhejiang Zhuoer suffered two consecutive defeats and is at the bottom of the table.
It was a climactic round of matches. Shanghai Seaport took a two-goal lead at one point, only to be leveled by Shenzhen at the crucial moment, and eventually sealed the win with an 87th-minute strike from Wu Lei. The match between Changchun Yatai and Dalian Ren was even more thrilling, with the Mambas leveling the score in stoppage time, but Liao Chengjian's header in the extra time extension earned Changchun Yatai their second consecutive victory.
The second round table is now revealed, with Shanghai Seaport and Changchun Yatai tied for the lead with 5 goals scored and 2 conceded. Shanghai Shenhua, on the other hand, followed with 6 points after beating Shandong Taishan and Meizhou Hakka consecutively with the most solid 1-0 narrow scores. Chengdu Rongcheng and Tianjinmen Tigers are finally in the win column after their first round draws and are in fourth and fifth place respectively with unbeaten records of one win and one draw. Meanwhile, Dalian Renhe Shenzhen lost this round but still hold three points. Beijing Guoan and Henan Songshan battled to a draw with 2 points each. Nantong Zhiyun, Cangzhou Lions, Shandong Taishan, Qingdao Hainiu, Meizhou Hakka and Wuhan Sanzhen all drew and lost. Surprisingly, last season's champion Wuhan Sanzhen and runner-up Shandong Taishan did not perform well in the new season, while last year's third-ranked Zhejiang team lost both matches, which is saddening.
