Dalian Yingbo became champions of China — The Guardian

Dalian Yingbo won the Chinese football championship after defeating Tianjin Tiger 3:1 in the final round. Chengdu Rongcheng, managed by Australian coach John Aloisi, meanwhile lost 2:3 to Shandong Taishan and missed out on the title. Both teams finished the season on 52 points, but Dalian Yingbo finished ahead of their rival on head-to-head results, The Guardian reports.

Chengdu lose their advantage

During the season, Chengdu Rongcheng's lead over their pursuers reached 12 points. However, Aloisi's team earned only one point in their final five matches and lost their last four games.

In the match in Jinan, Shandong Taishan took a 2:0 lead through goals from Rafael Mercies in the 15th minute and Guilherme Madruga in the 23rd. Felipe Silva reduced the deficit before half-time, but Cryzan restored the home side's two-goal advantage in the 63rd minute. Wellington Silva scored Chengdu's second goal in the 79th minute, but the visitors were unable to equalise.

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Decisive victory in Dalian

To win the title, Dalian Yingbo had to defeat Tianjin Tiger and hope for Chengdu to lose. Yan Minrui opened the scoring as early as the fifth minute. After the break, Shadash converted a penalty to equalise for the visitors, but Liao Jintao put Dalian back in front with 20 minutes remaining.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Huang Shan scored the hosts' third goal, sealing the victory and the championship. In the penultimate round, Dalian Yingbo also defeated Chengdu and, overall, secured two wins in head-to-head matches against their main rival.

At the start of the season, Chengdu Rongcheng were among the few Chinese Super League clubs to begin the campaign with zero points. A number of other teams started the competition with a negative total due to points deductions.