Crazy China League One! Another wave of relentless pursuit on the road to promotion

Reported by reporter Chen Yong The craziness of last-minute equalizers in the Chinese Super League, including those scored in extended stoppage time, has recently influenced China League One: In the game between Shanghai Jiading Huilong and Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards, after 5 minutes of injury time, Shanghai Jiading Huilong netted an equalizing goal in the 96th minute, finishing the match 2-2. This draw deprived Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards of an excellent opportunity to level with Chongqing Tongliang Long.

In fact, in recent times, the top teams in China League One have been falling one after another: especially the first two teams, Liaoning Ironmen and Chongqing Tongliang Long, have repeatedly stumbled, making what was once a clear promotion race extremely complicated.

Looking back to three rounds ago in China League One: after round 21, Liaoning Ironmen Nongshang Bank had 50 points, Chongqing Tongliang Long 46 points, Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards 37 points, and Yanbian Longding Kexi An 33 points. At that time, Chongqing Tongliang Long led the third place by 9 points and the fourth place by as much as 13 points. The general consensus was that Liaoning Ironmen and Chongqing Tongliang Long had almost secured their spots for promotion.

However, just three rounds later, the situation in China League One changed drastically: the leader Liaoning Ironmen failed to win in three rounds, with one loss and two draws, adding only 2 points to reach 52 points. Although their lead was still clear, signs of trouble emerged; Chongqing Tongliang Long suffered three consecutive defeats, remaining at 46 points, genuinely facing a crisis; Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards recorded two wins and one draw, including a victory over Chongqing Tongliang Long, but their draw was from the recent equalized match, otherwise they would have matched Chongqing Tongliang Long’s points; Yanbian Longding achieved three straight wins, including a 3-0 home victory over recently re-coached Chongqing Tongliang Long, reaching 42 points, 4 points behind Chongqing Tongliang Long and 2 behind Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards. Following them, Dalian Kunpeng and Shijiazhuang Gongfu have 38 points and still hold hopes.

The promotion battle has undergone such a dramatic shift in just three rounds, which is truly unexpected. Chongqing Tongliang Long has only won one out of their last five matches—a 1-0 victory against Nanjing City—while losing the other four: 0-2 to Nantong Zhiyun, 1-3 to Dingnan Ganlian, 0-1 to Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards, and a crushing 0-3 defeat against Yanbian Longding. Before this round, Chongqing Tongliang Long changed coaches, with Salvador stepping down and Zhang Wailong taking over, but the team’s performance remained poor after the change.

In fact, the two chasing teams have also been unstable: Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards went five matches without a win from round 16 to 20, with two draws and three losses, but recently they have achieved four consecutive victories. However, the recent equalizer dealt them a significant blow; Yanbian Longding was also winless for four rounds from round 18 to 21, with two draws and two losses before their current three-match winning streak.

All top four teams have completed their matches against each other, with head-to-head records as follows: Liaoning Ironmen hold 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, including two wins over Yanbian Longding, one win and one draw against Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards, and one win and one loss against Chongqing Tongliang Long (head-to-head advantage); Chongqing Tongliang Long has 3 wins and 3 losses, with a 1-1 record against Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards (head-to-head advantage) and 1-1 against Yanbian Longding (head-to-head disadvantage); Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards have 2 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, holding a 1-1 record against Yanbian Longding (head-to-head advantage); Yanbian Longding has 2 wins and 4 losses.

Considering points and head-to-head results, Liaoning Ironmen clearly have the upper hand but need to end their three-match winless streak quickly; Chongqing Tongliang Long also has decent points and head-to-head stats but must overcome their three consecutive defeats; Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards, disadvantaged in head-to-head, must surpass Chongqing Tongliang Long in points, benefiting from a schedule with four home and two away games; Yanbian Longding needs to outscore Guangdong Guangzhou Leopards and at least equal Chongqing Tongliang Long in points, which is more challenging given their unfavorable schedule of two home and four away matches.

There are six rounds left in China League One. Although no critical matches between top contenders remain, every game for these promotion hopefuls is crucial and challenging. Teams ranked 5th to 9th — Dalian Kunpeng, Shijiazhuang Gongfu, Nantong Zhiyun, Dingnan Ganlian, and Suzhou Dongwu — all have strong competitiveness. Even the 15th-ranked Guangxi Pingguo Guojing has been performing strongly recently with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, currently just 1 point behind 14th place Foshan Nanshi and 2 points behind 13th place Shenzhen Youth. Fighting to avoid relegation, they urgently need points. Both Chongqing Tongliang Long and Yanbian Longding must face Guangxi Pingguo on the road, where victory is not guaranteed.

The battle for the championship and relegation in the Chinese Super League is fiercely intense, and the same applies to China League One. As both leagues approach their final stages, fans of the contending and relegation-threatened teams will likely continue to endure a tense wait.