2021 China League One
| Season | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 April – 22 December |
| Champions | Wuhan Three Towns |
| Promoted | Wuhan Three Towns Meizhou Hakka Zhejiang Chengdu Rongcheng |
| Matches played | 306 |
| Goals scored | 830 (2.71 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Nyasha Mushekwi (23 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Kunshan 6–0 Jiangxi Beidamen (15 May 2021) Chengdu Rongcheng 6–0 Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard (11 August 2021) |
| Biggest away win | Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard 0–7 Chengdu Rongcheng (23 July 2021) Guizhou 2–9 Chengdu Rongcheng (21 December 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Guizhou 2–9 Chengdu Rongcheng (21 December 2021) |
| Longest winning run | 14 matches Wuhan Three Towns |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches Wuhan Three Towns |
| Longest winless run | 32 matches Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard |
| Longest losing run | 8 matches Jiangxi Beidamen Suzhou Dongwu |
← 2020 2022 → | |
The 2021 China League One (Chinese: 2021中国足球协会甲级联赛) is the 18th season of the China League One, the second tier of the Chinese football league pyramid, since its establishment in 2004.
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
[edit]The 2021 China League One season was scheduled to start on 17 March 2021, but later was postponed.[1]
On 1 April, the Chinese Football Association announced that the season would start on 24 April 2021 and the format of the season.[2][3] The season was divided into 4 stages (10, 8, 8 and 8 rounds respectively). In the first stage, 18 teams were divided into 3 groups based on the hosts and last season's rankings. In the second, third and fourth stage, the teams in 3 groups will be switched to ensure that each team can play against each other 2 times.
Groups
[edit]The draw for the stages took place on 1 April 2021.[4]
| Team | Draw order | No. | Group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First S. | Second S. | Third S. | Fourth S. | ||||
| Meizhou Hakka | Host | — | A1 | A | D | G | J |
| Zhejiang | 2nd, 2020 season | 1 | A2 | A | D | G | J |
| Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic | 10th, 2020 season | 6 | A3 | A | E | H | K |
| Sichuan Jiuniu | 11th, 2020 season | 7 | A4 | A | E | H | K |
| Zibo Cuju | 2nd, CL2, 2020 season | 12 | A5 | A | F | I | L |
| Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard | 18th, 2020 season | 13 | A6 | A | F | I | L |
| Chengdu Rongcheng | Host | — | B1 | B | F | H | J |
| Kunshan | 3rd, 2020 season | 2 | B2 | B | F | H | J |
| Beijing BSU | 9th, 2020 season | 5 | B3 | B | D | I | K |
| Nantong Zhiyun | 12th, 2020 season | 8 | B4 | B | D | I | K |
| Jiangxi Beidamen | 16th, 2020 season | 11 | B5 | B | E | G | L |
| Nanjing City | 3rd, CL2, 2020 season | 14 | B6 | B | E | G | L |
| Wuhan Three Towns | Host | — | C1 | C | E | I | J |
| Guizhou | 7th, 2020 season | 3 | C2 | C | E | I | J |
| Suzhou Dongwu | 8th, 2020 season | 4 | C3 | C | F | G | K |
| Liaoning Shenyang Urban | 14th, 2020 season | 9 | C4 | C | F | G | K |
| Heilongjiang Ice City | 15th, 2020 season | 10 | C5 | C | D | H | L |
| Beijing BIT | 4th, CL2, 2020 season | 15 | C6 | C | D | H | L |
Centralised venues
[edit]- Meizhou (Group A, D, G, J)
- Dalian (Group B, F, H)
- Chengdu (Group L)
- Wuhan (Group C, E, I, K)
Dates
[edit]- First stage (Round 1–10): 24 April – 10 June
- Second stage (Round 11–18): 11 July – 17 August
- Third stage (Round 19–26): 3 September – 5 October
- Fourth Stage (Round 27–34): 20 November – 22 December
Teams
[edit]Team changes
[edit]
To League One[edit]Teams promoted from 2020 China League Two |
From League One[edit]Teams promoted to 2021 Chinese Super League Dissolved entries
|
Name changes
[edit]Ahead of the 2021 season, the Chinese Football Association ordered all clubs to eliminate any corporate references in their names.[7]
- Chengdu Better City F.C. changed their name to Chengdu Rongcheng in January 2021.[8]
- Guizhou Hengfeng F.C. changed their name to Guizhou in January 2021.[9]
- Nanjing Fengfan F.C. changed their name to Nanjing City in January 2021.[10]
- Jiangxi Liansheng F.C. changed their name to Jiangxi Beidamen in February 2021.[11]
- Heilongjiang Lava Spring F.C. changed their name to Heilongjiang Ice City in February 2021.[12]
- Zhejiang Energy Greentown F.C. changed their name to Zhejiang in February 2021.[13]
Clubs
[edit]Stadiums and locations
[edit]
Club locations
[edit]
Location of teams in 2021 China League One[14]
Managerial changes
[edit]| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic |  Kim Bong-gil
|
Mutual consent | 29 November 2020[15] | Pre-season |  Óscar Céspedes
|
23 January 2021[16] |
| Chengdu Rongcheng | José Carlos Granero
|
Mutual consent | 7 December 2020[17] | Seo Jung-won
|
12 December 2020[18] | |
| Zhejiang |  Zheng Xiong
|
Mutual consent | 31 December 2020[19] | Jordi Vinyals
|
1 January 2021[20] | |
| Meizhou Hakka |  Marcelo Rospide
|
Mutual consent | 6 February 2021 |  Milan Ristić
|
6 February 2021 | |
| Zibo Cuju | Hou Zhiqiang
|
Mutual consent | 19 February 2021 | Park Chul
|
19 February 2021[21] | |
| Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard | Polat Kutulk (caretaker)
|
End of caretaker spell | 30 March 2021 | Pei Encai
|
30 March 2021[22] | |
| Nanjing City | Tang Bo
|
Mutual consent | 18 April 2021 |  Fulvio Pea
|
18 April 2021[23] | |
| Beijing BSU | Su Maozhen
|
Mutual consent | Zhang Xu
|
|||
| Zibo Cuju | Park Chul
|
Mutual consent | Huang Hongyi
|
|||
| Wuhan Three Towns | Albert Garcia Xicota
|
Sacked | 25 July 2021 | 5th | Pedro Morilla
|
25 July 2021[a][24][25] |
| Nantong Zhiyun | Xie Hui
|
Resigned | 22 August 2021[26] | 7th | Cao Rui
|
26 August 2021[27] |
| Kunshan | Gao Yao
|
Sacked | 16 September 2021 | 9th | Sergio Zarco Díaz
|
16 September 2021[28] |
| Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard | Pei Encai
|
Mutual consent | 2 October 2021 | 17th | Qeriazdan Ashar
|
2 October 2021[29] |
| Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic | Óscar Céspedes
|
Sacked | October 2021 | 7th | Feng Feng (caretaker)
|
October 2021 |
| Guizhou | Chen Mao
|
Sacked | 27 November 2021 | 9th | Yuan Yi
|
27 November 2021[30] |
| Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard | Qeriazdan Ashar
|
Mutual Consent | 11 December 2021 | 18th | Polat Kutulk (caretaker)
|
11 December 2021 |
- ^ Morilla was initially caretaker manager, but was then appointed as manager until the end of the season on 9 December 2021.
Foreign players
[edit]The number of foreign players clubs can register over the course of the season is limited to four and the number of foreign players allowed on each team at any given time is limited to three. A maximum of three foreign players can be registered for each match with a maximum of two can be fielded at any time during the match. In addition, each club can register a Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan player of Chinese descent (excluding goalkeepers), provided that he registered as a professional footballer in one of those three association for the first time, as a native player.
- Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- ^1 For Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwanese players, if they are non-naturalized and were registered as professional footballers in Hong Kong's, Macau's, or Chinese Taipei's football association for the first time, they are recognized as native players. Otherwise they are recognized as foreign players.
League table
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wuhan Three Towns (C, P) | 34 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 73 | 25 | +48 | 79 | Promotion to Super League |
| 2 | Meizhou Hakka (P) | 34 | 24 | 3 | 7 | 79 | 35 | +44 | 75 | |
| 3 | Zhejiang (O, P) | 34 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 69 | 28 | +41 | 74 | Qualification for Promotion play-offs |
| 4 | Chengdu Rongcheng (O, P) | 34 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 81 | 28 | +53 | 71 | |
| 5 | Nantong Zhiyun | 34 | 20 | 5 | 9 | 62 | 30 | +32 | 65 | |
| 6 | Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 55 | 30 | +25 | 62 | |
| 7 | Heilongjiang Ice City | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 50 | 40 | +10 | 56 | |
| 8 | Sichuan Jiuniu | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 34 | 27 | +7 | 52 | |
| 9 | Kunshan | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 56 | 35 | +21 | 51 | |
| 10 | Nanjing City | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 41 | 42 | −1 | 45 | |
| 11 | Zibo Cuju | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 32 | 52 | −20 | 39[a] | |
| 12 | Guizhou (D) | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 26 | 56 | −30 | 39[a] | Dissolved after season |
| 13 | Suzhou Dongwu | 34 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 32 | |
| 14 | Jiangxi Beidamen | 34 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 29 | 68 | −39 | 29 | |
| 15 | Beijing BSU | 34 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 37 | 53 | −16 | 28 | |
| 16 | Liaoning Shenyang Urban | 34 | 7 | 4 | 23 | 30 | 62 | −32 | 25 | |
| 17 | Beijing BIT (T) | 34 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 24 | 82 | −58 | 14 | Qualification for Relegation play-offs |
| 18 | Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard (T) | 34 | 1 | 6 | 27 | 16 | 84 | −68 | 9 |
Source: CFA
Rules for classification:
Rules for classification:
- During season: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
- After season: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Disciplinary points (1 point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card); 8) Draw
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (T) Qualified, but not yet for the particular phase indicated
Notes:
Results
[edit]Positions by round
[edit]To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 7, but then played between rounds 8 and 9, it will be added to the standings for round 8.
| Leader and promotion to Super League | |
| Runner-up and promotion to Super League | |
| Qualification for Promotion play-offs | |
| Qualification for Relegation play-offs |
Source: [citation needed]
Results by match played
[edit]Promotion play-offs
[edit]Zhejiang and Chengdu Rongcheng will play the bottom two teams in the 2021 Chinese Super League (7th and 8th in the Relegation stage) in two-legged playoffs.
Relegation play-offs
[edit]Overview
[edit]| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qingdao Youth Island | 2–2 (5–4 p) | Beijing BIT | 0–0 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard | 0–1 | Guangxi Pingguo Haliao | 0–1 | 0–0 |
Matches
[edit]| Beijing BIT | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Qingdao Youth Island |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| Penalties | ||
| 4–5 | ||
2–2 on aggregate. Qingdao Youth Island won 5–4 on penalties.
Guangxi Pingguo Haliao won 1–0 on aggregate.
Statistics
[edit]Top scorers
[edit]- As of 12 January 2022[31]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nyasha Mushekwi
|
Zhejiang | 24
|
| 2 |  Chisom Egbuchulam
|
Meizhou Hakka | 20
|
| Kingsley Onuegbu
|
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic | 20
| |
| 4 | Moses Ogbu
|
Wuhan Three Towns | 18
|
| 5 |  Raphaël Messi Bouli
|
Nanjing City | 15
|
| 6 | Liang Xueming
|
Meizhou Hakka | 14
|
| Naldinho
|
Chengdu Rongcheng | 14
| |
| Donovan Ewolo
|
Heilongjiang Ice City | 14
| |
| Robert Tambe
|
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic | 14
| |
 Zé Turbo
|
Nantong Zhiyun | 14
|
Hat-tricks
[edit]| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lonsana Doumbouya
|
Meizhou Hakka | Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic | 3–2 (H) | 24 May 2021 |
| Moses Ogbu
|
Wuhan Three Towns | Suzhou Dongwu | 4–0 (A) | 10 June 2021 |
| Xiang Baixu
|
Chengdu Rongcheng | Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard | 7–0 (A) | 23 July 2021 |
| Nyasha Mushekwi
|
Zhejiang | Beijing BIT | 3–0 (H) | 15 August 2021 |
| Raphaël Messi Bouli
|
Nanjing City | Liaoning Shenyang Urban | 3–3 (A) | 30 September 2021 |
| Felipe
|
Chengdu Rongcheng | Guizhou | 9–2 (A) | 21 December 2021 |
| Meng Junjie
|
Chengdu Rongcheng | Guizhou | 9–2 (A) | 21 December 2021 |
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d The match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
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