With Shanghai Port and Chengdu both suffering 0-2 defeats, the latest AFC Champions League standings are out: none of the three Chinese Super League teams are in the top eight.

On October 21st Beijing time, the third round of the AFC Champions League started, with two major matches just finished. Chengdu was beaten 0-2 at home by Malaysian powerhouse Johor Darul Ta'zim, and CSL champion Shanghai Port lost 0-2 at home to Japan’s Machida Zelvia. Consequently, the newest rankings reveal no CSL teams in the top eight, Chengdu at ninth, and Shanghai’s Shenhua and Port both languishing at the bottom. It’s really disappointing to witness such poor performance and absence of honor!

Chengdu Rongcheng faced Johor Darul Ta'zim. Chengdu is a newcomer to the AFC Champions League and celebrated their first-ever victory last round, making history. This match was at home, but because they are currently in a crucial stage of the CSL title race, Chengdu could only send a rotated squad to the AFC match. The outcome was predictable: defeat was inevitable. As expected, the substitutes were outmatched. From the start, Chengdu was dominated and barely mounted any decent attacks, managing only one shot on target — truly embarrassing. The match ended with Chengdu losing 0-2 to their opponent!

Shanghai Port played against Machida Zelvia. Shanghai Port leads the CSL but has yet to win in the AFC Champions League this season. This round was also a home match, but facing the strong Japanese side Machida Zelvia proved tough. Port performed very poorly, playing passively on the field. Machida Zelvia was aggressive and scored two goals within the first 13 minutes of the first half. In the second half, Port’s attack showed little improvement, while the opposition kept pressing and scored another goal that was disallowed for offside. Ultimately, Shanghai Port lost 0-2 to Machida Zelvia, suffering a shutout and remaining winless after three rounds, embarrassingly at the bottom of the group!

It must be said that the Chinese Super League teams’ performances have been extremely poor. Preparing for the league title, none seem willing to fight hard or bring honor to the CSL. If this continues, it’s unclear what purpose CSL teams have in the AFC Champions League — are they just there to embarrass themselves? It’s truly frustrating to see such internal strife and weakness, getting beaten badly abroad without any resistance!

Written by / Sports Fiction!

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