John Aloisi’s Chengdu Rongcheng let the Chinese Super League title slip from their grasp on the last day of the season, losing their fourth consecutive game as rivals Dalian Yingbo pipped them to the trophy following their fifth straight win.
Dalian completed a remarkable comeback by overhauling Chengdu’s lead, which once stood at 12 points, with Aloisi’s side picking up just one point in their last five matches. On the league’s final day, Chengdu lost 3-2 to Shandong Taishan, while Dalian’s 3-1 victory over Tianjin Tiger earned Li Guozu’s side the trophy.
The results saw the two teams finish level on 52 points, with Dalian winning the title on a better head-to-head record after recording a pair of wins over Chengdu, including in the penultimate round of matches.
Dalian still needed to win on Sunday while hoping Chengdu lost, and Aloisi’s side went two goals down in Jinan when Raphael Merkies and Guilherme Madruga struck in the 15th and 23rd minutes respectively.
Felipe Silva pulled one back for Chengdu with seven minutes remaining in the first half and, while Cryzan restored Shandong’s two-goal advantage in the 63rd minute, Wellington Silva’s 79th minute strike set up a tense finish.
Wang Ziming’s shot from close range was deflected over the bar in the third added minute as an increasingly desperate Chengdu ran out of time.
That left Dalian to secure the title in front of their own fans after Yang Mingrui gave the home side a fifth-minute lead.
Xadas’ 50th minute penalty levelled the scores for Tianjin but Liao Jintao netted from the edge of the area with 20 minutes left to restore Dalian’s advantage.
Huang Shan then struck from three yards out in the fourth minute of stoppage time to seal the win for Dalian and send the packed-out Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium into raptures.
It concludes an historic collapse for Australian Aloisi’s side who began the season with an unusual head-start as one of the only CSL clubs on zero points, while a series of points deductions were made to several rival sides which saw them start their campaigns in the negative.
