As the fifth round of the AFC Elite League group stage comes to a close, every stroke on the fixture list speaks of a subtle change after a thrilling battle that took place at this very moment on Nov. 27, as quietly as the first snowfall under the city of Beijing.
In this round of matches, the Chinese Super League Army performed admirably, with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. Shandong Taishan, playing at home, won 1-0 against Johor, with Zeca the hero of the goal and Wang Dalei's goalkeeping performance a textbook example of defensive art; Ports, relying on Vargas's hat-trick, won 3-1 against Ulsan Hyundai in a losing effort; and Shenhua, however, unfortunately lost 0-1 against Gwangju FC.
After five rounds of group matches, Kobe Victory lead the table with an undefeated record of four wins and a draw, leaving the rest of the teams in the dust with a whopping 13 points. Gwangju FC follow with 12 points, while Yokohama Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale are third and fourth with 10 and nine points respectively. seven points are shared by as many as five teams, including CSKA 3, Johor and Buriram United. Taishan are firmly in seventh place with seven points, while Pohang Steelers are tenth with six points. The battle for a place in the group stage is heating up. Ulsan Hyundai are at the bottom of the table with five defeats, while Central Coast Mariners are in the bottom two with one point.
In the upcoming next round, Taishan will welcome Kawasaki Striker, with the matchday set for December 4, and Taishan will be playing away from home. It is worth noting that Cressan will be suspended for accumulating three yellow cards and will not be able to participate in this crucial matchup as he received a yellow card in last night's match.
