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| ◇photo source=Asia Football Confederation website |
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| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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All the top teams competing for the league title lost on the Asian stage.
Shanghai Shenhua, Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Haigang, who participated in the 2025-2026 Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE), bowed their heads side by side in the first edition of the league stage. Shanghai Shenhua, which met Gangwon FC on the 16th, and Chengdu, which faced Ulsan HD on the 17th, lost 1-2 each, while Shanghai Hai River, which met Vissel Kobe (Japan) on the 17th, lost 0-3 after giving up three goals in the first half alone.
All three teams are competing to win the Chinese Super League this season. With Chengdu leading the way with 53 points as of 24 games, Shanghai Haigang (51 points) and Shanghai Shenhua (50 points) are trailing second and third, respectively. In the 25th round of the weekend, Chengdu and Shanghai Shenhua will face off.
China's Tencent reported on the 18th that the debate is unfolding after the Chinese teams were completely defeated at the ACLE League Stage. Chinese soccer reporter Li Xuan said on his SNS, "'Kobe scored three goals lightly in the first half against last year's league champion, and he used little power in the second half. This is the current state of the Chinese teams in ACLE, and 'Is there any point in saving strength to compete for the league championship?' Looking at the two-day ACLE, doesn't the weekend league championship look boring?' Lu Wenqiao also 'ACLE is a stage for true experience and learning. The J-League adjusted the schedule for the players' performance. In light of Japan's frequent World Cup appearance, the development of Chinese soccer seems to need more time. On the other hand, Wei said 'Chinese teams' loss in the first round of the league stage is a predictable result. The aftermath of the league championship contest was huge. Heo Sung, a soccer influencer, said, "'Shanghai Shenhua gave up the game before the game, Shanghai Haigang gave up at half-time, and Chengdu gave up the game at the end of the game.'ACLE is a burden, not an honor, for Chinese teams. It is difficult to balance the league with ACLE.
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| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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Chinese fans are also reacting differently. In the Tencent comment section, there are many voices of criticism, such as "'Overseas teams are undefeated, but Chinese teams are neck-and-neck for winning the league', 'Let's just withdraw from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and just do the Super League', 'Shandong competed for the Super League title even though it reached the quarterfinals of the ACL', 'Is this the level of a winning team, don't be ashamed'. On the other hand, 'ACLE is only formal. There is also a view that they do not care about defeat, saying, 'It will be more fun to compete for the Super League title' and 'Who would do the same after seeing Guangzhou Evergrande burn money to set fire to itself to win the ACL?'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
