Chengdu Rongcheng climbed to the top of the Chinese Super League (CSL) standings after edging out Shanghai Shenhua 1-0 in a thrilling match on Friday. The home crowd in Sichuan Province witnessed a tense battle as Rongcheng leapfrogged last season’s runners-up to claim the top spot on goal difference.
Shanghai Shenhua came close to opening the scoring in the 23rd minute when Zhu Chenjie’s looping header struck the crossbar. Just four minutes later, Rongcheng capitalized on their opportunity as former Brazil U23 forward Romulo netted his sixth goal of the season, finishing off a scramble inside the box.
Despite relentless pressure from the visitors in the second half, including a free kick from Joao Teixeira that hit the post with 19 minutes remaining, Shenhua couldn’t find an equalizer. Teixeira’s night worsened when he received a second yellow card in stoppage time, leaving Shenhua with ten men.
With this victory, Rongcheng sits atop the CSL table, while Shenhua drops to second place.
In other action, Qingdao West Coast secured a convincing 3-1 win over Meizhou Hakka at home. The hosts took the lead after Davidson’s long-range shot hit the bar, allowing Abdul-Aziz Yakubu to chip in the rebound. Yakubu continued to shine by assisting Duan Liuyu for the second goal early in the second half.
Nelson da Luz extended Qingdao’s lead with a solo effort, making it 3-0. Meizhou’s Branimir Jocic scored a late consolation goal with a close-range header in the 86th minute. The win moved Qingdao up to seventh place, while Meizhou sits in tenth.
After ten matchdays, the top four in the CSL standings are Chengdu Rongcheng, Shanghai Shenhua, Beijing Guoan, and defending champions Shanghai Port.
