Players of Jiangsu Suning celebrate during the trophy ceremony after winning its first Chinese Super League (CSL) title with a 2-1 victory over defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 12, 2020.(Xinhua/Li Bo)
Jiangsu Suning won its first-ever title of Chinese Super League (CSL) amid the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday night, dethroning the defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande.
By sportswriters Yao Youming, Wang Chunyan and Zhang Zewei
BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 2020 Chinese Super League (CSL) came to a close Thursday night with Jiangsu Suning dethroning Guangzhou Evergrande to win its first-ever title in the top flight.
With efforts of the Chinese football association, the competition finished on schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the sport back to normal to fulfill the Chinese government's 2015 plan for football reform and development.
A SOLID WINNER
When Jiangsu edged Henan Jianye 4-3 in the first round of the CSL first phase on July 26, few Jiangsu fans thought their team would eventually win the title.
But Cosmin Olaroiu's side, which had sharp attackers and solid defenders, only lost two games in the first phase. During the second half of the season, the 16 teams played two-legged knockout matches instead of the usual home-and-away formula in the revamped competition, which added uncertainties to the title race.
Facing 2018 CSL winner Shanghai SIPG in the semifinals, Jiangsu won the second leg 2-1 for a 3-2 aggregate victory, to set up a final showdown against Guangzhou.
In its last CSL match of the season played on Thursday, Jiangsu looked for scoring chances with patience although its rivals dominated in the first half.
Before halftime, a brilliant Alex Teixeira dribbled from deep within his own half, helping former Italian international Eder Citadin Martins break the deadlock. The 30-year-old was Suning's biggest contributor in the finals.
Besides Teixeira, Mubarak Wakaso was another key player of the CSL finals. When facing Brazilian international Jose Paulo Bezerra Maciel Junior, the Ghana midfielder made his strong rival disappear on the court. Wakaso could still sprint on the soil in the extra time of the second half; the 30-year-old's stupendous stamina was a guarantee of Suning winning the title.
Jiangsu has never won the CSL title before, and it was Olaroiu who changed the powerhouse to an outstanding bellwether. Before the season, Olaroiu was doubted by Jiangsu fans. Some even expected the 51-year-old to be sacked during the season.
Under criticism, his conservative tactics have brought the trophy back home, setting a milestone in CSL history.
Players of Jiangsu Suning celebrate during the trophy ceremony after winning its first Chinese Super League (CSL) title with a 2-1 victory over defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 12, 2020.(Xinhua/Xu Chang)
DEBATABLE NEW COMPETITION FORMAT
The CSL had been scheduled to kick off its 2020 season in February when COVID-19 first hit the country. That led to sport leagues including the CSL being postponed or canceled.
The CSL eventually started in July. To guarantee the health of all players, the CSL was divided into two groups of eight teams, who had to play in two secure "bubbles" - one each in Suzhou and Dalian.
The top four teams from each group in the first phase gathered in Suzhou to vie for the title between October 16 and November 12, and the remaining eight teams played in play-offs to see who would be relegated in Dalian.
To the relief of all, there were no reported infections among players, coaches or support staff during the whole season, as personnel were confined to a hotel and were allowed out only to train and play matches.
Shijiazhuang Ever Bright became the casualty of the unusual format as it was relegated to League One despite winning five out of 14 games. In contrast, Tianjin Teda escaped relegation, although it only won two games.
Also, Wuhan Zall, which had snatched seven wins, had to fight for a ticket to the 2021 CSL with a new playoff clash against Zhejiang Energy Greentown, the runner-up of the second division league.
"The CSL is a league, it must resume the home-away double robin format in 2021," said a fan named "Qinling mountain caddie" on China's All Football app.
It remains unknown whether the 2021 CSL would be played under a championships-like format.
Supporters cheering for Jiangsu Suning who won its first Chinese Super League (CSL) title with a 2-1 victory over defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 12, 2020.(Xinhua/Xu Chang)
PRAISE AND BLAME FOR NATURALIZED ELITES
Naturalized players became an influential factor in this season as many of them had proved their strength during the past seasons. Some of them still shone this season, while others couldn't continue their best performance as before.
Jiang Guangtai, also known as Tyias Browning, made two blunders in the second leg of the final match on Thursday, which caused Guangzhou's 2-1 defeat to Jiangsu, but Jiang was still one of the best naturalized players in the season.
Jiang had steady performance during the whole season, as the 26-year-old Chinese international managed to keep Evergrande's defense line safe enough to enter the final round, together with South Korea international Park Ji Soo.
In the opening match against Shanghai Shenhua, Jiang made 12 perfect clearances and his completed passes rate was more than 85 percent.
On the other hand, another Evergrande naturalized player Ai Kesen, known as Elkeson de Oliveira Cardoso before, didn't make it into the ranks of top scorers.
As the top scorer in the past two seasons and the best CSL player in 2014, the 31-year-old Chinese international just scored six goals and none of them were goals in action.
The first Chinese naturalized player Hou Yongyong, previously known as John Hou Saeter, failed to live up to expectations. The 22-year-old scored three goals for Beijing Guo'an this season but couldn't secure himself a position in the club's starting line.
Brazilian international Teixeira was definitely the key player in the second leg of CSL final match. The 30-year-old forward got 7.6 points on the website Whoscored, the highest among all the players, and became the most wanted naturalized player.
