Asian Goal in Sight: Shandong Taishan Continue Fighting on Two Fronts as Tang Tian Remains Confident

15 points.

This was the number Tang Tian mentioned during the fan open day this morning — the current points gap between Shandong Taishan and league leaders Chengdu Rongcheng. With seven league rounds remaining, the interim head coach did not avoid reality, saying that winning the league title this year would be difficult.

With a 15-point gap, what are Taishan thinking about? The Asian Champions League.

At 8:00 p.m. on August 22, Shandong Taishan will visit Qingdao West Coast. This Shandong derby is a key battle for league positions. Both teams have 33 points, with Taishan ahead on goal difference in fourth place and West Coast fifth. Beijing Guoan with 35 points and Yunnan Yukun with 34 points are also ahead, while Dalian Yingbo with 33 points are close behind. A win could create immediate separation, while a defeat could see Taishan fall out of the top four.

According to the qualification allocation rules for the 2027/28 Asian Champions League season, the Chinese Super League champion and FA Cup champion will receive places in the AFC Champions League Elite, while the league runner-up will enter the AFC Champions League Two. In other words, if Taishan can only secure one route, the FA Cup title would be more valuable.

However, nobody wants to give up on the league early.

After the 23rd round concluded on August 15, Chengdu Rongcheng topped the table with 48 points, Taishan had 33 points in third place, and Beijing Guoan had 32 points in fifth. Five teams were competing within a two-point range. After Guoan defeated Shanghai Shenhua 3-0 in a postponed match on August 18, their points rose to 35 and they moved into second place. Chengdu remained dominant with 48 points, leading the second-place team by 13 points. After the postponed match, Taishan were three points behind Guoan, keeping their hopes of chasing second place alive.

On this path, Taishan must first overcome West Coast, then face Shanghai Shenhua, followed by Shenzhen Peng City. The schedule will not wait.

The other route is more intense and more unforgiving — at 7:00 p.m. on September 1, the FA Cup quarter-final will see Shandong Taishan host Shanghai Port. A win sends them into the semi-finals, while a loss means elimination. It is a single-match knockout with no room for recovery.

Shanghai Port were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Dalian Yingbo on August 19 and sit eighth with 26 points after the postponed match. But cup competitions are different, with extra time and penalties available after a draw in regulation time. In the previous FA Cup round, Taishan drew 2-2 with Wuhan Three Towns after 120 minutes and advanced with a 4-3 penalty shootout win. In that match, 22-year-old goalkeeper Yu Jinyong saved three penalties to help the team advance.

Wang Dalei appeared at training today. After a brief conversation with Tang Tian, he returned to the gym and did not join the full-team session. He previously revealed his injury status on social media, with a torn ankle ligament keeping him out for nearly a month.

Tang Tian led the team to Qingdao at 1:00 p.m. today. Before departure, he spent a long time speaking with more than 200 fans in the stands, discussing how only 11 or 12 players were able to train during the most difficult period and talking about the final home match against Chengdu Rongcheng, saying: “Even if we cannot be champions, we will find a way to win like champions.”

That match is currently scheduled for November 8, the final round of this season's Chinese Super League, with Shandong Taishan hosting Chengdu Rongcheng.

At this moment, the team is on the high-speed train heading to Qingdao. At 8:00 p.m. on August 22, the derby will kick off at Qingdao West Coast University Town Sports Center Stadium.

The upcoming match information has attracted attention.