Chengdu Rongcheng have suffered one of the most dramatic 12-point lead collapses in football history, surrendering the Chinese Super League title to Dalian Yingbo on the final day of the season. John Aloisi’s side led the table by 12 points at one stage but lost their last four matches and picked up just one point from their final five fixtures, allowing Dalian to complete a remarkable comeback.
Final-day drama
Chengdu went into their last game against Shandong Taishan knowing a single point would be enough to secure the Li Guozu trophy. Instead, they found themselves 2-0 down inside 25 minutes after goals from Raphael Merkies and Guilherme Madruga. Felipe Silva pulled one back, but Cryzan restored Shandong’s two-goal cushion. Former Arsenal forward Wellington Silva gave Chengdu hope with 11 minutes remaining, but the equaliser never arrived and the match finished 3-2 to Shandong.
That result opened the door for Dalian, who needed a win at home against Tianjin Tiger to claim the title. Dalian took the lead inside five minutes through Yang Mingrui, but Xadas levelled from the penalty spot in the 50th minute. Liao Jintao restored Dalian’s advantage with 20 minutes to go, and Huang Shan sealed the victory and the championship with a close-range strike in stoppage time, making it 3-1.
Head-to-head proves decisive
Both sides finished the season level on 52 points, but Dalian were crowned champions thanks to a superior head-to-head record. That record included a victory over Chengdu in the penultimate game of the campaign, a 1-0 win that proved crucial in the final reckoning. Dalian won all five of their last five matches, collecting 15 points from 15, while Chengdu’s late slump proved costly.
A collapse for the history books
The scale of Chengdu’s surrender invites comparison with some of football’s most famous title races. Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United famously let a 12-point lead slip in the 1995-96 Premier League season, missing out to Manchester United. Manchester United themselves blew a 12-point advantage over Arsenal in the 1997-98 campaign. Chengdu’s collapse now joins that list, especially given the faltering finish from a side managed by Australian Aloisi, who played for Portsmouth and Coventry City during his career.
For Dalian, the triumph represents a stunning turnaround. They were not in control of their own destiny for much of the run-in but took full advantage when Chengdu faltered, sealing the title in front of their own fans with a performance that combined early pressure, a composed response to Xadas’s equaliser and a late finish worthy of champions.
Chengdu will be left to reflect on what might have been. A single point from their final five games would have been enough, but instead they end the season empty-handed after a run of four consecutive defeats that will be remembered as one of the most costly in the competition’s history.
