Opinion | Guangzhou Evergrande winning the title is becoming as inevitable as night following day, but who can challenge their dominance?
Evergrande are celebrating a sixth consecutive Super League championship while the also-rans lick their wounds and plan for next season
“They’ve won the league, bigger stars than Dallas,
They got more silver than Buckingham Palace,
No-one knows quite what to expect,
When the red machine’s in full effect.”
That was written about Liverpool during their ’80s heyday but could be equally applied to Guanghzou Evergrande of the present.
The only thing is that Chinese football fans know exactly what to expect: Guangzhou Evergrande will win the Super League title. They have done that for the sixth time in a row, lifting the trophy every year since they were promoted to the country’s top flight.
A 1-1 draw with Yanbian Funde was enough to spark wild celebrations as their sole rivals for the title Jiangsu Suning could only manage a draw themselves against Chongqing Lifan.
Watch: highlights of Guangzhou Evergrande v Yanbian Funde
The champions are seven points clear and make the trip to play the runners-up on Wednesday, cruel timing for their latest coronation. At least Jiangsu Suning still have the opportunity to exact revenge when the sides meet in the Chinese FA Cup final next month.
