New Delhi: Tim Chow’s brace helped Chinese giants, Chengdu Rongcheng beat Tianjin Jinmen Tiger at Chengdu Phoenix Mountain Sports Park. The match went to end-to-end, with both teams coming close to taking the crucial three points. It was the Hibiscus City (Chengdu Rongcheng) that took away the three points and edged closer to their first qualification in the AFC Champions League. Jung Won Seo’s side had been on an impressive run since getting promoted to the CSL. In their first season in the first division, they went on a 22-matches unbeaten streak and finished fifth on the table. They missed out on the AFC Champions League by a few points, and the fierce gameplay continued in the current season.
Tim Chow scored the first goal against Tianjin Jinmen in the eighth minute, with the central midfielder driving into the box, and placing the ball at the bottom left corner. Yahav Gurfinkel provided the cross that found Tim with ounces of space inside the 18-yard box. After that, they completely dominated Tianjin Jinmen. They took 13 goals, from which six were on target.
However, the heroics of the Tianjin goalkeeper, Jingqi Fang, kept the away team at bay. In the 40th minute, the whole of Chengdu Park went silent when Albion Ademi scored for Tianjin Jinmen to level up the score. It was seemingly going towards yet another heartbreak for the Chengdu Rongcheng fans who have always dreamt of their club participating in the biggest Asian football competition. The half ended with Chengdu dominating every aspect of the game except the scoreline.
In the second half, the home side were playing with a high line and pressed the Tianjin defence for the first 15 minutes. The continuous attacks didn’t help the away defence and a Chengdu Rongcheng goal seemed to get closer. However, Tianjin Jinmen’s Han Pangfei came close to causing a major upset but missed an open header to keep the score level.
The Hibiscus City wasted no time but initiated an exquisite attack through Brazilian forward, Romulo. Alex Grant committed a foul on Manuel Palacios in the right flank, that granted a free-kick to Chengdu Rongcheng. Romulo stepped up to take it and provided a pin-point cross inside the Tianjin penalty box that was met by Tim Chow. The midfielder blasted the ball into the net in the 59th minute. There was no chance for Jingqi Fang to save that one.
The inspirational performance from the home side continued till the final whistle. This win was crucial for the Chinese club to qualify for the AFC Champions League. With 10 more matches to go in the league, Chengdu Rongcheng will hope to continue their win streak to challenge Shanghai Port for the CSL title, let alone a qualification to the Champions League.
Tim Chow’s brace helps Chengdu Rongcheng continue their unbeaten streak and move an edge closer to their first AFC Champions League qualification. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
