As night falls, the final chapter of the relegation battle in the 2021 Chinese Super League season slowly comes to an end. In the late afternoon, the three relegation battles were in full swing, with each team fighting for precious points. Dalian beat Qingdao 4-1 in the final round, but the victory did not bring a turnaround as both Dalian and Qingdao will face the promotion playoffs.
Dalian meets bitter end as Tianjin shut out relegation
With Qingdao locking up the bottom spot in the Chinese Super League ahead of schedule, there is only one last piece of suspense left in this season's Chinese Super League - who will be the second-to-last team. Prior to the finale, the Jinmen Tigers had 18 points, Chongqing 17 points, and Dalian 16 points, with the difference between the three teams being only one game, so theoretically any one of them could be the second team to join the play-offs. The relegation situation looks clear, but Dalian people must win the game, while hoping that one of the Jinmen Tiger or Chongqing team can not win.
Three relegation battles opened in tandem. In the first half, Dalian led 1-0, Tianjin drew 0-0, and Chongqing trailed 0-1. Such a score pattern is favorable to Dalian. If it stays until the end, Dalian will be relegated against all odds, while Chongqing will enter the play-offs. In the second half, Dalian scored consecutive goals, while Chongqing also realized the score to overtake, 2-1 ahead of Wuhan. In the desperate situation, Jinmen Tigers showed their tenacity and scored a goal by Xie Weijun in the 88th minute, which not only helped the team to shut out Cangzhou, but also ensured their relegation.
In the end, Qingdao and Dalianjin will enter the play-offs, and they are also the bottom-ranked teams in the first phase of the Chinese Super League in Guangzhou and Suzhou, respectively.
Challenges ahead in play-offs as Central League Three aim to make it to the Premier League
According to the rules set out at the beginning of the season, there are no direct relegation spots in the Chinese Super League this season, with the bottom two playing a lift-off playoff against the third and fourth place finishers in the Central League. As the dust settles in the relegation group, Qingdao will face Zhejiang, the third-place finisher in the Central League, while Dalian Ren will take on Chengdu Rongcheng, the Central League's top runner-up.
Despite the differences between the Chinese Super League and the Chinese League One, Qingdao and Dalian may not be able to win easily in terms of financial strength, team morale and hiring rules. Qingdao's financial woes led to a lackluster performance throughout the season and an early exit from the competition. Zhejiang's head coach, Mr. Qiaodi, who was a member of Qingdao's Super League team, knows Qingdao like the back of his hand. Qiaodi said he is well aware of Qingdao's predicament and believes the players are psychologically weaker, so Zhejiang must play well in the first round. "It's a 180-minute battle and we have to show our best form in the first leg." Jordy emphasized.
Dalian is in a similar situation as Qingdao, with low morale recently. Facing Chengdu, who are eager for a place in the Chinese Super League, the Dalian people also do not have a certainty of victory. Chengdu head coach Xu Zhengyuan said it was regrettable that the team could not go straight to the Super League, but the goal of the Super League remains unchanged, implying that they will do their best to play the play-offs. "We have been given two weeks to prepare for the play-offs, and we will also study our opponents in depth during this time." Xu Zhengyuan said.
The promotion and relegation playoffs will be held on January 8th and January 12th. If there is no accident, the matches will be held in Suzhou.
