The Chinese first football team Dalian Yifang was crowned the Chinese Super League champion on Sunday, for the first time in its history, after defeating Tianjin Teda 3-1, coinciding with the loss of its direct rival Chengdu Rongcheng to Shandong Taishan 2-3.
Dalian achieved its fifth consecutive victory, completing a strong surge after overcoming Chengdu's lead, which had reached a gap of 12 points between them at one stage. The two teams equalized in points at 52 each, with Dalian securing the title thanks to its superiority in head-to-head matches, having recorded two wins against Chengdu, including the victory in the penultimate round.
Dalian needed to win on Sunday, while its hopes depended on Chengdu losing. Wang Ziming's shot from close range hit the crossbar in the third minute of added time, as Chengdu's despair grew and time ran out for them.
Thus, Dalian clinched the title in front of its fans after Yang Ming gave the home team the lead in the fifth minute. Sha Das equalized for Tianjin from a penalty kick in the 50th minute, but Liao Jingtao scored from the edge of the penalty area 20 minutes before the end of the match to restore Dalian's lead.
Then Huang Shan scored in the fourth minute of added time to secure the win for Dalian. Felipe Silva reduced the deficit for Chengdu seven minutes before the end of the first half, but Khrizan restored Shandong's two-goal lead in the 63rd minute, and Wellington Silva's goal in the 79th minute made the ending full of excitement.
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
Comments (0)