November 9: Chengdu Rongcheng lost a 12-point lead to lose the Chinese Super League title on the final day. Even the late, great Kevin Keegan could do a mummy.
John Aloisi’s side lost 3-2 at Shandong Taishan on Sunday, their fourth successive defeat, while Dalian Yingbo beat Tianjin Tiger 3-1 to finish level on 52 points and take the title on the head-to-head record. This matchup included Dalian’s win over Chengdu in the penultimate round.
The final stretch was extraordinary. Chengdu took one point from their last five matches. Dalian took 15 of 15.
Still, a draw would have been enough. Instead, Chengdu lost 2-0 in the 25th minute through Raphael Merkies and Guilherme Madruga. Felipe Silva pulled one back, Cryzan restored the two-goal lead and former Arsenal striker Wellington Silva made it 3-2 with 11 minutes remaining. The tie never came.
In Dalian, Yang Mingrui scored inside five minutes before Xadas equalized from the penalty spot early in the second half. Liao Jintao put Dalian ahead again with 20 minutes to go, and Huang Shan settled it in stoppage time.
English football has its famous collapses. Keegan’s Newcastle conceded a 12-point lead to Manchester United in 1995-96, and United lost a similar lead to Arsenal two seasons later. But neither achieved it with a four-game losing streak.
Aloisi, the former Australia striker who played for Portsmouth and Coventry, had his team in complete control for most of the season. Now he has a winter to find out how a point of 15 passed.
For Dalian, it’s the kind of title that will be talked about for years. For Chengdu, it will be talked about for a longer time.
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