Tianjin Teda claimed a 2-1 victory over Zhejiang Professional at Stadium TEDA on Saturday, closing out the 26th round of the Super League with a result that kept them firmly in the lower half of the table. The hosts took the lead early through Bruno Xadas in the sixth minute, before Alexandru Mitriță restored parity just before the break. Ji Shengpan then fired home the winner in the 72nd minute, securing all three points for Tianjin.
And here's the thing about that opening goal — Xadas struck while Zhejiang were still finding their rhythm. Park Jin-seob received a yellow card in the 34th minute as the visitors tried to settle, and by then the home side had already established control. Mitriță equalised on 45-plus-one, catching Tianjin off-guard before the whistle. The momentum shifted again when Ji Shengpan found space in the box to slot home.
We had tipped the home side to win, with 46 per cent confidence, and the match played out much as expected. Tianjin dominated possession at 70 per cent, though their shots lacked the precision of their first-half work. Zhejiang managed 14 shots inside the penalty area but could only register five on target, while Tianjin hit the woodwork with two of their eight attempts on target.
The statistics tell a story of efficiency rather than dominance. Tianjin completed 153 of 215 passes — a 71 per cent success rate — while Zhejiang's midfield churned through 464 successful passes from 531 attempts. Four yellow cards for the hosts and five for the visitors reflected a match that grew increasingly tense after the interval. Sun Guowen came on for Wang Qiuming in the 59th minute, a change that coincided with Zhejiang's attempt to respond.
The result leaves Tianjin 14th on 22 points after 25 games, with eight wins and eight draws. Zhejiang remain 10th on 28 points, their nine victories unable to propel them into the upper echelon. Both sides have played the same number of matches, but the gap between them remains four points — enough to keep the home side looking over their shoulder as the season winds down.