Incredible collapse! Chinese club squandered the title despite a 12-point lead with four rounds remaining

The Chinese Super League delivered an incredible finale to the season. Chengdu Rongcheng, who had led the championship race confidently for a long time, somehow let the title slip away right on the finish line. John Aloisi's team needed just one point from their final four matches, but suffered four consecutive defeats.

First, Chengdu fell to Tianjin Tigers (0:1), then were outclassed by Shanghai Port (0:3). The real blow came in a home defeat to their title rivals Dalian Yingbo (0:1), after which the championship was to be decided on the final matchday.

In their last game, Chengdu lost 2:3 to Shandong Taishan. Even two goals were not enough to save the team from another setback. Meanwhile, Dalian Yingbo defeated Tianjin Tigers (3:1) to seal a historic triumph.

Both clubs finished on 52 points, but Dalian were crowned champions thanks to their superior head-to-head record: they had beaten their rivals twice. Remarkably, Chengdu had a far better goal difference, but in China, head-to-head results are the first tiebreaker when teams finish level on points.

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In this way, Dalian Yingbo won five consecutive matches to claim the championship for the first time in the club's history, while Chengdu saw their dream of a maiden title vanish after an incredible collapse at the finish.