bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jonathan White

The first weekend of the Chinese Super League season brought with it our first chance to evaluate the off-season experiments.
New Shandong Luneng signing Marouane Fellaini proved decisive in the opening game of the season where his side hosted Beijing Renhe.
A little over 20,000 fans saw the former Manchester United man scuff home the winner just after half-time to secure the points for his new club and lead the table for an hour or two.
Perhaps more would have made it if kick-off was not at 6pm on a weekday and the ground was closer to the city centre?
Crowds were not an issue in Guangzhou, where nearly 48,000 packed in to Tianhe Stadium to see the team that is favourite to win back their league title.




Guangzhou Evergrande’s own experiment in the off-season was to limit their foreigners and to turn into a training base for the national team, by signing players who have represented China.
The most high-profile, and high-risk, of those, Wei Shihao opened the scoring against Tianjin Tianhai.
Feng Xiaoting, who was dropped to the reserves for his poor display for China at the Asian Cup, rounded off the scoring after an own goal.
While Evergrande look good, there will be easier tests for their national team training camp counterparts at Tianjin Tianhai.


The bigger question is what will come of Zhang Linpeng at this new Evergrande after he was sent off?
It was the champions that were up next. Shanghai SIPG’s own experiment lies somewhere between “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and that quote often attributed to Einstein about insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.
Well, the result was not an issue away at Hongkou Stadium.
SIPG not only turned up for the Shanghai derby without Wu Lei – who they confirmed they would not replace the CSL golden boot at a press conference last Thursday – but they also opted to play without Hulk.


It didn’t matter. Shenhua scored an own goal to ensure that SIPG were 1-0 up at half-time and they never looked back.
They added three more by the end through Lv Wenjun, Oscar and Odil Akhmedov, while Oscar was also involved in the incident which saw Bai Jiajun sent off for the hosts.
So SIPG’s long-term experiment paid off immediately, leaving them where they left off last season, but what of the CFA’s foreign referees?
It was Milorad Mazic in charge at Hongkou and while he handed out one red card, it could have been more. Aside from the obvious issues with VAR needing a translator there will be increased scrutiny on the foreign referees. That’s something to watch where five of the eight games saw a red card.

GOLAÇO DE RENATO AUGUSTO! Garantindo a vitória do Beijing Guoan fora de casa sobre o Wuhan Zall por 1x0. pic.twitter.com/2WR0GDbxY4
— Leonardo Hartung (@HartungLeo) 1 March 2019

The final of Friday’s games saw newcomers Wuhan Zall host Beijing Guoan with the game more notable by its absences.
Beijing Guoan had led the push to naturalise players of Chinese heritage and it appeared they would have two involved on Friday but rumours late on Thursday night suggested that would not be the case.
There was no official word but neither John Hou Saeter or Nico Yennaris were in the matchday squad and we wait to see when they will make their CSL bows.
All the weirder when Hou was allowed to make history by playing in the Super Cup a week before.
As for the other changes at Guoan, Zhang Yuning needs time and Kim Min-jae needs no time at all. Renato Augusto rescued the points with a pinpoint free kick.


The rest of the weekend was a little of what we knew already and some things we learned.
Alan Kardec is going to be vital to Chongqing Lifan’s hopes of staying up, his brace got a point against Guangzhou R&F.
Yannick Carrasco was the saviour for Dalian Yifang, as he often was last season, with an injury time equaliser at Henan Jianye.
New boys Shenzhen have a couple of quality looking players. Ole Selnaes and Harold Preciado both scored screamers in a 3-1 win over Hebei CFFC.


Alex Teixeira is three years into his CSL stay and he remains able to make the difference. His brace saw Jiangsu past Tianjin Teda in a 3-2 win to round off the match week one action.
As for next week, Evergrande get a chance to take an early lead into the weekend as they play on Friday again, with another home game. This time they take on Tianjin Teda and could put the pressure on the champions, who face Jiangsu Suning 24 hours later.
Last season’s title race went down to the wire and Evergrande started with a loss. This could be an even more unforgiving battle for the crown.

Fellaini’s debut goal for Shandong Luneng #CSL pic.twitter.com/PrSjKPDwcx
— Dugout Asia (@DugoutAsia) 2 March 2019

Hopefully the football will take our eyes off whatever the CFA have been working on in the lab ready to let loose on an unsuspecting league.
Chinese Super League: is it time for CSL’s Leicester City fairy tale? Ten questions ahead of the 2019 season
Results: Shandong Luneng 1-0 Beijing Renhe; Shanghai Shenhua 0-4 Shanghai SIPG; Guangzhou Evergrande 3-0 Tianjin Tianhai; Wuhan Zall 0-1 Beijing Guoan; Chongqiing Lifan 2-2 Guangzhou R&F; Shenzhen FC 2-1 Hebei CFFC; Henan Jianye 2-2 Dalian Yifang; Jiangsu Sainty 3-2 Tianjin Teda.


Asian Champions League Elite: Shanghai Shenhua coach says Chinese teams must up intensity

Chinese Super League: Shanghai, Beijing fans clash after dramatic end to match

Chinese footballer, brain-dead after accident, is flown home as family seeks answers

Chinese footballer, 18, ‘brain-dead’ after accident in Spain, family accuse club and FA

Chinese Super League

Marouane Fellaini, Oscar star in Chinese Super League’s opening round of matches

Shanghai SIPG’s Oscar starred in their Shanghai derby win. Photo: AFP

Chinese Super League 2019: club-by-club guide to transfers, new signings, odds and predictions

Shanghai SIPG players celebrate winning the Chinese Super League title. Can they pull off another shock win? Photo: AFP

Guangzhou Evergrande's Alan Douglas (L) celebrates after scoring a goal during their AFC Champions League quarter-final football match against Shanghai SIPG in Guangzhou in China's southern Guangdong province on September 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / STR / China OUT

Chinese Super League: is it time for CSL’s Leicester City fairy tale? Ten questions ahead of the 2019 season

Napoli’s Marek Hamsik waves to supporters. He has signed for Dalian Yifang in the Chinese Super League. Photo: AP

(FILES) This file photo taken on March 5, 2017 shows Paulinho of Guangzhou Evergrande (2nd L) gesturing during the team's Chinese Super League match against Beijing Guoan in Guangzhou in China's Guangdong province. - Barcelona fans were delighted that he left and at Tottenham Hotspur they called him lazy, but Paulinho is on a punishing run of matches that has earned him the nickname "Iron Man" in China. The international midfielder re-signed for Guangzhou Evergrande from Barcelona in July 2018 after Brazil's World Cup ended and was pressed immediately into action because, unlike in Europe, the Chinese season was midway through. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT / TO GO WITH Fbl-Asia-CHN-Paulinho-BRA, FOCUS by Peter STEBBINGS

Sport

Football


Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG resume battle at the top with big wins on Friday night
New boys Shenzhen impress in weekend where five games of the eight feature red cards



Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG resume battle at the top with big wins on Friday night


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

The East Stand

The East Stand | Marouane Fellaini, Oscar star in Chinese Super League’s opening round of matches

Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG resume battle at the top with big wins on Friday night New boys Shenzhen impress in weekend where five games of the eight feature red cards

Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai SIPG resume battle at the top with big wins on Friday night

New boys Shenzhen impress in weekend where five games of the eight feature red cards