Chengdu blow 12-point lead to miss out on Chinese title on final day

Chengdu Rongcheng lost a fourth successive game to give up a 12-point lead and throw away the Chinese Super League title.

A 3-2 loss on the final day to Shandong Taishan, combined with a 3-1 win for Dalian Yingbo against Tianjin Tiger, meant John Aloisi's side missed out on the Li Guozu trophy.

It was a remarkable finale for Chengdu, who picked up just one point from their last five matches, while Dalian collected 15 from 15.

Both sides finished level on 52 points, but Dalian took the title with a better head-to-head record which included a victory over Chengdu in the penultimate game of the season.