Shanghai Port Celebrates Three-Peat with Fans

Shanghai Port players and fans gathered at Pudong Arena over the weekend to celebrate their third consecutive Chinese Super League title.

Despite missing several key players from the previous season, the defending champion maintained a lead over rivals Shanghai Shenhua and Beijing Guo'an, both in the race for the title, in the season's tense second half.

Before Shanghai Port, only two clubs had completed a three-peat: Dalian in the early days of professionalization and Guangzhou FC, which set a record with seven consecutive titles from 2011 to 2017 after the league was renamed the CSL.

In 2018, Shanghai Port (then Shanghai SIPG) ended Guangzhou's dominance in the domestic league. The club won its second league title in 2023, led by Spaniard Javier Pereira.

Kevin Muscat led Port to defend its league title and won the CFA Cup in 2024, completing the club's first domestic double.

This season, despite the absence of key foreign players Oscar and Matías Vargas and with Wu Lei, the CSL's top scorer, limited to few appearances due to injury, Shanghai Port still managed to achieve a three-peat, which was due to the club's relative stability over the last decade.

Under the Australian coach, the team has adopted an attacking style of play over the last two seasons, emphasizing the attacking line to relieve pressure on a comparatively weaker defensive side.

If there was one regret, it was the team's struggle to make a breakthrough in the AFC Champions League.

After losing 1-3 at home to FC Seoul last week, Shanghai Port has now suffered three consecutive Asian defeats.

Muscat said in previous interviews that the club would hold internal discussions to determine the feasibility of some long-term plans.

Continuing to focus on youth development and seeking breakthroughs in international competitions will likely be the future goals for the reigning champion.