Despite their 5-1 away loss to Guangzhou Evergrande, Mikel Obi’s Tianjin Teda escaped relegation on Sunday as only Changchun Yatai joined the already relegated Guizhou Hengfeng.

Changchun Yatai ended the 30-match week series with 32 points just like Mikel Obi’s Tianjin Teda and Chongqing Lifan. Incidentally, all the three clubs lost their last matches. But Mikel Obi’s Tianjin Teda and Chongqing Lifan escaped relegation owing to better head-to-head records with Changchun Lifan.

Prior to Sunday, the four teams above were in the relegation zone with an identical 32 points, and the losers between Changchun and Dalian would face more risks of becoming the second and last team to be relegated after Guizhou Hengfeng were already doomed with two rounds to go.

In their do-or-die match, the visiting Changchun missed their best chance in the beginning of the first half, as Dane international Lasse Vibe hit the wood.

A header from Duvier Riascos, top scorer of the 2010-2011 China Super League season, broke the deadlock in the 21st minute for Dalian who made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute when Belgian Yannick Ferreira Carrasco also found the net.

The 2-0 victory ensured Dalian to remain in the first tier league in China with 35 points.

Also on Sunday, Tianjin visited China Super League defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande and broke the deadlock first in the first half, before Guangzhou scored five goals later on for a season record of 82 goals.

Chongqing lost to Guizhou 1-0 and completed the season with 32 points, the same as both Tianjin and Changchun.

Elsewhere, Beijing Renhe tied Guangzhou R&F 0-0, Hebei China Fortune beat Beijing Guoan 2-1, Jiangsu Suning whitewashed Henan Jianye 4-0, Shanghai Greenland drew Shandong Luneng 2-2, and Tianjin Quanjian downed newly-crowned Shanghai SIPG 3-2.

As the curtain falls on the current season of China Super League, Tianjin TEDA which Nigeria’s Mikel Obi plays for suffered a heavy defeat. The club on Sunday lost 1-5 away to Guangzhou Evergrande.

The heavy loss puts the club in the 13^th position of a 16-team format. Injured Mikel Obi was not in action. Incidentally, it was Tianjin TEDA that drew the first blood early in the game as Brazilian; Johnathan Aparecido da Silva put the visiting team ahead after seven minutes.

Talisca levelled up for Guangzhou Evergrande in the 38^th minute to put score lines at 1-1 at half-time. Guangzhou Evergrande went ahead in the 56^th minute through Alan Carvalho who also scored the third goal in the 84^th minute.

Four minutes later, Zheng Long scored the fourth goal before Wang Jinze wrapped up the rout two minute into the added time.

BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.

Nigeria Super Eagles striker, Obafemi Martin’s was the hero of the first leg of the China FA Cup final as his lone goal has put his club, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua a vantage position to lift the trophy.

The former Super Eagles striker scored the goal in the 38^th minute in an encounter with fellow Shanghai rivals, Shanghai SIPG.

The 33 years old striker who bagged the MVP award will be eyeing his first trophy for his Chinese side after his team last lifted the trophy in 1998.