In the 27th round of the Chinese Super League, all three title-contending teams played first and all secured victories; Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng had tough wins, while Shanghai Shenhua’s win sparked controversy.

On the evening of October 17th Beijing time, in the 27th round (the fourth last round) of the Chinese Super League, the three title-contending teams played earlier and all emerged victorious, leaving the rankings and point differences among them unchanged, includingShanghai Port’s 4-3 away win over Qingdao Hainiu, Chengdu Rongcheng’s 3-1 home victory against Meizhou Hakka, and Shanghai Shenhua’s 2-1 away win over Qingdao West Coast.

Shanghai Port, the league leaders and defending champions, had a very hard-fought 4-3 away win against Qingdao Hainiu. Shanghai Port fell behind twice, equalized twice, then took a two-goal lead before Qingdao Hainiu pulled one back. Both teams fought hard—Shanghai Port aiming for the title and Qingdao Hainiu battling relegation. Ultimately, Shanghai Port secured a narrow 1-goal victory on the road, earning valuable three points to maintain their lead.

In the match at home against Meizhou Hakka, Chengdu Rongcheng also faced a title-versus-relegation battle. Although Chengdu Rongcheng scored first, Meizhou Hakka quickly equalized. Chengdu Rongcheng kept pressing and only regained the lead at the 70th minute, then sealed the game with another goal in the 82nd minute. This was still a tough win for Chengdu Rongcheng, who remain just 2 points behind league leaders Shanghai Port.

Shanghai Shenhua’s away match against Qingdao West Coast was particularly strange. Qingdao West Coast had two players sent off, and near the end of the first half, the 9-man Qingdao West Coast actually pressed Shanghai Port aggressively—a rare scene in football. Veteran Yu Hanchao’s goal secured Shanghai Port a narrow 2-1 win over the 9-man Qingdao West Coast. The most bizarre incident was Zhang Chengdong’s red card: after Qingdao West Coast took a free kick, the assistant referee immediately flagged offside despite VAR being available. The offside call was difficult to judge with the naked eye, and normally VAR would review after the attack concluded. Zhang Chengdong protested the controversial call and was sent off. Logically, both the assistant referee and Zhang should have known the consequences of such protest, yet it happened simultaneously. Even with two extra players, Shanghai Shenhua only won after a disputed referee decision, making the victory look very unsightly. This match is destined to be recorded in Chinese Super League history and will be a hot topic among fans.

After all three title contenders won, the points, rankings, and gaps remained unchanged. Shanghai Port and Chengdu Rongcheng earned hard-fought but respectable victories, while Shanghai Shenhua’s win appeared very odd and sparked major controversy, with the overall scene looking quite unpleasant!