With the fifth round of the AFC Elite League group stage coming to an end, the fierce competition of the tournament drew a new demarcation line at the Beijing hour on November 27th.
In this round of matches, the three Chinese Super League (CSL) teams delivered two wins and one loss. Taishan beat Johor 1-0 at home with Zeca's winning goal, thanks to Wang Dalei's solid goalkeeping; Ports turned back Ulsan Hyundai 3-1 with Vargas's hat-trick, although the opponent was still tough; and Shenhua were unlucky to lose 0-1 to Gwangju FC.
After five rounds of group matches, Kobe Victory lead the table with an undefeated record of four wins and one draw, leading the way with 13 points, followed by Gwangju FC with 12, Yokohama Mariners in a solid third place with 10, and Kawasaki Strikers in fourth place with nine points. Five teams are tied on seven points, including CSKA 3, Johor and Buriram United. Taishan are seventh with seven points, while Pohang Steelers are 10th with six points. The fight for the top spot in the group stage is extremely tight. Ulsan Hyundai are in last place with five defeats, while Central Coast Mariners are in the bottom two with only one point, and both teams seem to have basically said goodbye to their hopes of qualifying from the group.
In the next round, Taishan will face Kawasaki Striker on the road and the match will be played on December 4th. However, Cressan will not be able to play in this crucial matchup due to his accumulation of three yellows after receiving a yellow card in the previous match.
