Wang Dalei became the focal point of the "Lurong Battle": the first appearance of a foreign referee and the rare issuance of a red card.

Reporter Chen Yong reports Klesan's injury-induced exit in the first half and Wang Dalei's red card in the 59th minute of the second half led to the total collapse of the balance that Taishan Team could have sustained. In the end, they conceded another goal and lost 1-2, marking a third defeat to Chengdu Rongcheng this season, following last season's three losses. The highlight of this match was Wang Dalei's red card, which was a decision that changed from yellow to red after VAR intervention. The season's first foreign referee ultimately overturned his own decision, a situation that is quite rare in the Chinese Super League.

The match on August 2 between Chengdu Rongcheng and Shandong Taishan was the third encounter between the two teams this season and also a clash between teams utilizing a three-center-back formation. In terms of the three-center-back system, Shandong Taishan, having only played three matches with this formation, is like a "freshman," while Chengdu Rongcheng, having utilized it for many years, is clearly at a "graduate student" level.

In this match, Taishan Team was affected significantly by the suspension of Zeka, which impacted their strength. However, in the first half, despite Chengdu Rongcheng's advantage, Taishan Team managed to enter halftime with a score of 1-1, thanks to their tenacious defense and sharp counterattacks. After the start of the second half, neither side could change the score until the 56th minute when the red card incident occurred.

At that moment, Wang Dalei was dribbling when Felipe intercepted the ball. Subsequently, in a defensive action, Wang Dalei's hand brushed against Felipe's face. The foreign referee, Siwakong Budun, called a foul and issued a yellow card to Wang Dalei, as three Taishan defenders had already returned to the penalty area.

However, the video assistant referee, Shen Yinhao, alerted Siwakong about a possible red card for Wang Dalei. After reviewing the video replay, Siwakong rescinded the yellow card and issued a red card instead. The rationale for this decision was not publicly explained, but from the video replay, it appeared that Siwakong ruled that Wang Dalei's foul clearly denied a goal-scoring opportunity. The replay was taken from a distance, showing that there were no players covering the goal, only defenders retreating who were still over ten meters away from the goal. This decision was unrelated to a serious foul, as the severity of the foul was not confirmed with slow-motion footage. In reality, Wang Dalei merely brushed against him without any apparent violent intent, which normally wouldn't reach the level of a serious foul.

This foul by Wang Dalei outside the penalty area is quite rare in the Chinese Super League, and the Chinese Football Association should provide clearer evaluations regarding this matter.

Siwakong was the only foreign referee in this round of the Chinese Super League. The vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association, Xu Jiren, also stated, "Starting from this round of the Chinese Super League, foreign referees will be used periodically. The match between Rongcheng and Taishan will be officiated by Siwakong, a Thai elite referee, in what is a relatively high-profile match, though it cannot be said to be given 'extra attention'."

Siwakong served as the video assistant referee in China's matches against Saudi Arabia in September, Australia in October, and Japan in November during the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. The selection of foreign referees in the Chinese Super League primarily aims to enhance communication between domestic and foreign referees, allowing foreign referees to become familiar with Super League players (especially national team players) and promoting international standards of officiating. This will benefit the national team in future international matches and also help Super League teams adapt to Asian Champions League competitions.

Setting aside the red card issued under unclear rules, Siwakong did demonstrate a different standard of officiating compared to local referees in the Chinese Super League. Notably, he had a more lenient approach to physical confrontations, encouraging more contact, which left both teams somewhat unaccustomed.