Socceroos legend John Aloisi’s maiden season in charge of Chinese Super League outfit Chengdu Roncheng has ended in heartbreak as they squandered a 14-point lead with five games remaining to miss out on the title.
Aloisi’s side need a draw or a win in the final game of the season to secure a historic league triumph, but they were beaten 3-2 away at Shandong Taishan as rivals Dalian Yingbo claimed a 3-1 win over Tianjin Jinmen Tiger to jump to top spot.
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Chengdu and Dalin finished level on 52 points from 30 matches, and Aloisi’s men boasted a superior goal difference by ten, but in the Chinese Super League head-to-head results trump goal difference.
Dalin won both their meetings during the season and were crowned champions as a result.
It was the first time all season Chengdu had coughed up top spot on the table with Dalin winning their final five games, while Aloisi’s team picking up just one point from their last five outings, to complete one of the most staggering collapses in football history.
Chengdu’s title race lead was greater than the 12-point lead Newcastle United gave up to Manchester United in 1995-96 in the Premier League, while the Red Devils also blew a 12-point advantage over Arsenal in the 1997-98 campaign.
“We are indeed very disappointed not to have won the championship. We are in a very despairing state. There is nothing else to say,” Aloisi told local media via a Chinese translator after the loss to Shandong.
“I want to say sorry to everyone. We certainly know that our fans have travelled a long way to fight alongside us and support us.
“Right now, my only feeling is one of great dejection and disappointment, because we could see the trophy right in front of us, but could not get it.”
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The final day played out in pulsating fashion with Chengdu and Dalian’s matches kicking off at the same time.
Aloisi’s side fell 2-0 down after just 23 minutes, while Dalian opened the scoring in the fifth minute of their match.
Chengdu were back in pole position when Tianjin converted a penalty to level the scores against Dalian, meaning a loss would be enough for Aloisi’s team.
Dalian regained the lead, and Chengdu were never able to find the equaliser that would have made them champions in just their eighth season of existence.
The Australian great was then asked if he will resign as a result of failing to clinch the title.
“Now is not the time to talk about this,” he said.
“As a team, together with the club and everyone, we need to review where we fell short in our past five matches. We need to face our problems, and then work on those aspects.”
Videos also emerged online of the team being abused by their own fans upon returning to their hotel.
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