Chengdu Rongcheng's collapse in 2024 Chinese Super League title race

Consensus Summary

Chengdu Rongcheng’s dream of winning the 2024 Chinese Super League title collapsed in a dramatic final-week implosion, handing the championship to rivals Dalian Yingbo despite finishing level on points. The Sichuan club, led by Australian coach John Aloisi, had dominated the season early on, building a commanding lead of 12 points (or 14 points, according to some reports) with five rounds remaining. However, a disastrous run of form—including three straight defeats and just two wins in their last 13 games—saw their advantage evaporate. On the final matchday, Chengdu’s 3-2 loss to Shandong Taishan and Dalian’s 3-1 victory over Tianjin Jinmen Tiger sealed the title for Dalian, who triumphed on superior head-to-head results. The result left Aloisi’s side in despair, with the coach publicly apologizing to fans for squandering a near-certain victory.

The season had begun under unusual circumstances, with nine of the 16 top-tier clubs starting on negative points due to deductions for match-fixing and corruption. Chengdu, one of the few to start on zero, capitalized early, dropping just two points in their first 12 games while traditional powerhouses struggled. The club’s rise was a rare bright spot in Chinese football, which has long battled negative international headlines. Chengdu Rongcheng, formed in 2018, had overcome past setbacks, including the dissolution of Sheffield United’s Chengdu Blades in 2015 and City Football Group’s relocation of Sichuan Jiuniu to Shenzhen in 2024. Their journey to the title was seen as a redemption story, but a series of avoidable mistakes—including a missed penalty and a VAR-disallowed equalizer—undid their chances.

John Aloisi, a former Socceroos player and Western United coach who had led his A-League side to the 2021/2022 championship, found himself at the center of the drama. After the final match, he admitted defeat, telling local media through a translator, ‘We are in a very despairing state. We could see the trophy right in front of us, but could not get it.’ His team’s collapse was so severe that fans confronted the players at the hotel, with police intervening to restore order, as reported by ABC. Aloisi dismissed speculation about his future, insisting the focus should remain on analyzing the team’s failures in their last five matches. Meanwhile, Dalian Yingbo’s victory marked the second straight title for an Australian-coached team in China, following Kevin Muscat’s back-to-back wins with Shanghai Port in 2024 and 2025.

While the Guardian provided deeper context on Chengdu’s struggles—such as their fans’ poor reputation, including a $70,000 fine for racial abuse last November—the other outlets focused more on the final-week drama. The Guardian also highlighted the Chinese national team’s recent struggles, including a humiliating 5-0 loss to Palestine, though it noted mitigating factors like key players being at the Asian Games. The outlet also praised the league’s rising attendances, with average crowds hitting 30,000 this season, a significant improvement over the past. However, discrepancies emerged in the reporting of Chengdu’s peak lead—12 points in the Guardian versus 14 points in 7NEWS and ABC—though both agreed on the ultimate outcome: a title lost through a combination of poor form and bad luck.

As the dust settles, questions remain about Chengdu Rongcheng’s future and Aloisi’s next steps. The Guardian suggested the club’s fanbase, though passionate, has struggled with discipline, while ABC’s mention of fan unrest at the hotel underscored the emotional toll of the collapse. Aloisi’s refusal to resign immediately indicates he may seek to rebuild, but the team’s form in their final five games—where they failed to score in nearly seven hours of football—raises serious questions. Meanwhile, Dalian Yingbo’s triumph, secured in front of 60,000 jubilant fans, cements their status as the league’s new kings. For Chengdu, the season’s dramatic end serves as a cautionary tale about the fragility of success in football, where a single mistake can unravel months of hard work.