September 8: Chengdu Rongcheng Fail to Clinch Title Early as Controversial Moment Sparks Debate

In the 26th minute, Ye Lijiang made a sliding tackle from behind, sending Wei Shihao rolling several times on the ground. Referee Shen Yinhao was standing three meters away and did not make a call. Hu Hetao rushed over and pointed at his leg, trying to show the referee how dangerous the challenge was. Shen Yinhao looked at him, and his facial expression was interpreted as dismissive. Hu turned away, and his head-shaking gesture was clearly captured by the camera.

This match was expected to become Chengdu Rongcheng's championship night. Before the game, they led Dalian Yingbo by 12 points, and a win at Zhengzhou Hanghai Stadium against Henan FC would have secured the first Chinese Super League trophy in club history with four rounds remaining. Wei Shihao said before the match that he wanted to bring the title back to Chengdu, and fans had already started discussing celebration plans.

However, the final score showed 0-0. Chengdu Rongcheng recorded nine shots, zero shots on target, zero corners, and only an 8% successful crossing rate. Henan FC had 16 shots and four on target. Without several saves from goalkeeper Liu Dianzuo, Rongcheng might not even have earned the point.

Before the match, Rongcheng coach Aloisio changed the formation from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1, starting Wang Ziming as the lone striker and putting Romulo in the starting lineup. The intention was clear: with Felipe suspended and no player able to withstand Henan's two foreign center-backs, Rongcheng abandoned heavy penalty-area attacks and switched to a more defensive counterattacking approach. They managed only two shots in the first half, both blocked by defenders.

Felipe had played 19 matches this season, scoring 17 goals and providing three assists. He is the absolute core of Rongcheng's attacking system. His goals included an added-time equalizer against Chongqing, the goals that secured a 3-0 win over Henan, and a late winner against Zhejiang after coming on as a substitute for two minutes. These goals directly earned points for the team. Without him, Rongcheng's shots on target dropped to zero.

The match became a physical battle from the 30th minute onward. Within 13 minutes, referee Shen Yinhao showed six yellow cards to both teams. During first-half stoppage time, Han Pengfei and Maranhao had a confrontation, with nearly 20 players gathering and pushing each other. Wang Ziming was knocked down while competing for a header in the 44th minute. After no foul was called, he lifted his shirt and protested toward the referee, receiving a yellow card before teammates pulled him away.

Statistics showed that Shen Yinhao had officiated 98 Chinese Super League matches, with visiting teams averaging 2.11 yellow cards per match. In this game, he issued 10 yellow cards in total, three times the league average of 3.5 per match this season. Rongcheng received seven yellow cards, and Wei Shihao and Baihelamu will miss the next match against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger after reaching four accumulated yellow cards.

After the match, Wei Shihao was asked by reporters what difficulties the team faced. He replied: “The referee did a great job, and there was nothing we could do.” When asked how he would adjust his emotions, Wei responded: “Do we still need to control our emotions?” Asked about welcoming the most important home match, Wei said: “Do you want us to win the championship?”

This was not the first time Rongcheng struggled at Hanghai Stadium. Since being promoted to the Chinese Super League and the return of home-and-away matches, they have visited Henan three times, recording one draw and two defeats without a win. Last season, Henan defeated Rongcheng three times across competitions, including two league matches and a penalty shootout victory in the FA Cup.

Henan entered the match with 25 points, only six points above the relegation zone. Coach Ramos pointed to the badge on his chest at the pre-match press conference and said: “Henan FC is going through a shareholding reform period, and funding is not abundant. But as long as I am with the team, I will continue to defend the shirt and badge.” One side wanted to create history by winning the title early, while the other was fighting for survival, meaning their motivations were very different from the start.

Rongcheng made substitutions in the second half. In the 63rd minute, substitute center-back Sorokin made a mistake while clearing the ball from the back, allowing Zheng Dalun to enter the box and shoot from a tight angle. Liu Dianzuo saved the attempt. It was the closest chance to score in the match. In the 61st minute, Wei Shihao received a yellow card for a challenge and will miss the next match after accumulating four yellow cards. Rongcheng will therefore be without both Felipe and Wei Shihao in the next game.

Rongcheng had 51% possession but recorded zero shots on target, zero corners, and only an 8% crossing success rate. Silva, playing on the flank, completed the full match, lost possession nine times, and managed only one shot. Defensively, the center-back pairing of Li Yang and Han Pengfei was also unstable, with frequent mistakes, and Li Yang was replaced by Sorokin after halftime.

After the match, Rongcheng's coach and players remained relatively calm, generally believing that one point was acceptable and that winning the title at home in the next round would also be a good outcome. Fans reacted more strongly. Wei Shihao posted screenshots of abusive messages he received after the game, saying his wife had also faced vulgar insults, and added the phrase “IP correct” in response to Henan-related comments. Some fans made a circular hand gesture toward the Henan stands when leaving, and the gesture was interpreted as targeting supporters due to its association with regional-related controversy.

Rongcheng still have a significant lead, with 52 points after 26 rounds and a 12-point advantage over second-place Dalian Yingbo. However, the CSL uses head-to-head records as the first tiebreaker, and Rongcheng have not yet played the second match against Dalian, so they could not secure the title this round. In the next match on October 10, Rongcheng will host Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, and a draw will be enough to win the championship.

The issue is that Felipe remains suspended for the next round, while Wei Shihao and Baihelamu are also suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, meaning three key attacking players will all be absent. Tianjin Jinmen Tiger currently have 22 points and rank 14th, just above the relegation zone. They escaped the danger area after beating Zhejiang 2-1 in the previous round. Against Rongcheng, their five foreign players could all be available, while their opportunities to field all five foreign players together this season have been limited to about five matches at most.

Since July, Rongcheng have managed only two wins, six draws, and two defeats in their last 10 league matches, and they were also eliminated from the FA Cup during this period. After losing 4-5 at home to Shanghai Shenhua in the 24th round, angry calls for the coach to leave were heard at Phoenix Hill Sports Center, and some home fans briefly cheered for the visiting team that held a big lead.

The most striking statistics from this 0-0 draw were Rongcheng's nine shots, zero shots on target, and zero corners. One fan commented on Dongqiudi: “9 shots, 0 on target, 0 corners, 7 yellow cards, salute to the blue and white, if asked it's because of the referee and fighting spirit.” The data shows there were refereeing issues, but the problem of having zero shots on target cannot be entirely blamed on the referee. Rongcheng must ask themselves: without Felipe, what is their second attacking plan? If losing composure leads the whole team to commit more fouls, does that look like a championship team?