Truly pitiful and lamentable! The Chinese Super League champion has become the underperformer in the AFC Champions League, earning only 1 point in 4 rounds and sitting at the bottom of the standings.

On November 5th, the fourth round of the AFC Champions League East Asia Zone began with high energy. Not long ago, a crucial match ended with Chinese Super League champion Shanghai Port taking on Thailand’s Buriram United. After a tough 90-minute battle, Shanghai Port showed weak form, being overwhelmed and conceding two consecutive goals to lose 0-2. They have now gone four rounds without a win and are at the bottom of the table, which is extremely awkward. The team’s spirit is down, and the continuous defeats are truly regrettable!

Shanghai Port is the reigning Chinese Super League champion, currently leading the league and likely to achieve a third consecutive title. Compared to their dominance domestically, they have become an easy target in the AFC Champions League. Additionally, their apparent lack of focus on this competition has resulted in no wins and a bottom-place ranking. This poor performance has drawn criticism from many Chinese fans, who accuse the team of internal conflicts. Facing Thailand’s Buriram United today, a strong opponent and playing away, Shanghai Port’s chances of escaping unscathed seem slim!

After the match started, both teams had chances in the first half, but Shanghai Port failed to capitalize. Buriram United took the lead 1-0 thanks to a goal by Sobachai. In the second half, Shanghai Port had few opportunities, while Buriram earned a corner kick, which led to a goalkeeper error in the box. Following that, a header assist allowed Good to score and extend the lead. Despite being two goals down, Shanghai Port showed no fighting spirit or desire to win, ultimately suffering a 0-2 defeat to their rivals!

It must be said that Shanghai Port played terribly. How did a team of this level even win the Chinese Super League? They showed no fighting spirit, going four rounds without a win and sitting at the bottom of the AFC Champions League table, becoming the league’s underachiever. Such a performance still as champions domestically means they only dominate at home but become timid abroad, turning into easy prey. It’s unclear what good winning more Chinese titles will do for Shanghai Port at this level. This clearly reflects the low standard of the Chinese Super League. Even more alarming is that Shanghai Port is very likely to win the league again this season, which is perhaps the greatest irony for Chinese football!

Written by / Sports Novel