Reporter Lu Mi reports In the 20th round of the Chinese Super League, the relegation battle has attracted much attention. The six-point clash between Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Qingdao Hainiu, which began at 17:30 on July 25, concluded with a Jinmen Tiger win, motivating Wuhan Three Towns to fight hard in their match starting at 20:00 the same day. They eventually edged out Chongqing Tonglianglong 1-0, earning three crucial points.

With this round’s victories, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Wuhan Three Towns are now tied with Qingdao Hainiu at 14 points. Shanghai Port, after winning the Shanghai derby, has 19 points, making the relegation picture somewhat clearer. The three teams with 14 points will continue to battle fiercely for survival.

Persevering to secure a vital three points

Wuhan Three Towns hosted Chongqing Tonglianglong, who are in second place on the table. Both teams had played in the FA Cup midweek, but the difference was that Chongqing Tonglianglong eliminated Qingdao West Coast within 90 minutes to advance to the next round, while Wuhan Three Towns were knocked out after a penalty shootout with Shandong Taishan. The midweek match left Wuhan Three Towns with significant physical fatigue.

Some foreign players and domestic players in certain positions showed signs of tiredness, but with the earlier match ending with Tianjin Jinmen Tiger beating Qingdao Hainiu away, Suárez had no choice but to field his strongest lineup, hoping the players would grit their teeth and push through.

In the match against Wuhan Three Towns, Chongqing Tonglianglong had 62% possession and took 14 shots, holding a clear advantage on the field. In the 39th minute, Chongqing’s key foreign center-back Lu Kang was injured during a challenge and had to be substituted, creating a gap in their previously solid 5-4-1 defensive formation. Wuhan Three Towns capitalized on this: Xu Haofeng sprinted down the left flank and delivered a low cross, and Shao Er followed up with a powerful header into the corner of the net. This proved to be the only goal of the game.

Although their fitness was affected by the midweek match, Three Towns’ foreign duo Shao Er and Cardis still played a key tactical role, continuously making runs to stretch the Tonglianglong defense and creating multiple threats. New signing Lotte has strengthened the attack, providing a fresh option up front, but having only recently joined the team, his chemistry with teammates is still developing.

With back-to-back league wins against Shenzhen Peng City and Chongqing Tonglianglong, Wuhan Three Towns have gained momentum and a morale boost. Crucially, they have not allowed relegation rival Tianjin Jinmen Tiger to pull away in the standings.

Changes in the relegation landscape

Before the 20th round, Wuhan Three Towns and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger were both on 11 points, occupying the bottom two spots, while Qingdao Hainiu was third from bottom with 14 points. After this round, Wuhan Three Towns, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, and Qingdao Hainiu are all tied at 14 points. Shanghai Port, who had only 16 points before this round and were fourth from bottom, won the Shanghai derby to reach 19 points, creating a five-point gap from the relegation zone.

In this round, Jinmen Tiger beat Qingdao Hainiu 2-0, securing a crucial three points and gaining the head-to-head advantage over Hainiu (1-1 at home, 2-0 away).

With five matches in August, this will be the decisive period for determining relegation fate.

Wuhan Three Towns’ August schedule is extremely tough, with three away and two home games. Their next match is away against league leaders Chengdu Rongcheng, where picking up points is unlikely; then they travel to face Zhejiang, a team above them in quality. After two consecutive away matches, they have two home games against Shanghai Port and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, before finishing August with an away trip to Qingdao Hainiu. In this schedule, the two matches against direct relegation rivals Tianjin Jinmen Tiger and Qingdao Hainiu are absolutely critical.

Tianjin Jinmen Tiger are in red-hot form, winning three straight matches without conceding a goal, and are on an upward trajectory. In August, Jinmen Tiger have three home and two away games: home against Yunnan Yukun, away against Shandong Taishan, home against Beijing Guoan, away against Wuhan Three Towns, and home against Qingdao West Coast. It will be difficult to pick up points against traditional powerhouses Shandong Taishan and Beijing Guoan, so their most important match of the month is the direct confrontation with Wuhan Three Towns.

Qingdao Hainiu are in the toughest position among the three teams level on points at the bottom. The team is on a three-match losing streak in the league and winless in four, with serious injury problems. Their new foreign player suffered a serious injury after just one game, and with Ye Boya suspended, coach Milan has lamented the lack of available players. Hainiu’s August schedule is extremely daunting: they will play away against Qingdao West Coast, Shandong Taishan, and Shanghai Port, host Shanghai Shenhua, and then host Wuhan Three Towns at the end of the month. Taishan, Port, and Shenhua are all traditional strong teams, Qingdao West Coast are their city rivals, and the other opponent is a relegation competitor—essentially every match is a tough battle.

Additionally, both Jinmen Tiger and Wuhan Three Towns had one match postponed due to weather earlier. If they can secure points in those rescheduled games, they will be able to open up a gap with Qingdao Hainiu.