Shandong Luneng takes 5th place in 2020 CSL

XI'AN - Needing penalties to decide the game, Shandong Luneng defeated Chongqing Dangdai Lifan 9-8 in their two-legged clash in the 5th place playoffs of the 2020 Chinese Super League (CSL) on Tuesday, finishing the season 5th out of 16 teams.

In the first leg of the series between the two teams, Chongqing saw off Shandong 4-3. In the game on Tuesday, Marouane Fellaini broke the deadlock for Luneng in the 22nd minute through a close-range shot. In the 32nd minute, Wang Tong added the second through a header after receiving Liu Binbin's long ball.

Luiz Fernando Pereira da Silva pulled one back in the 37th minute for Chongqing, sending the game into extra time. Both sides failed to find the winning goal in the extra period

In the penalty shootout period, Luneng's goalkeeper Han Rongze denied Liu Le and Yuan Mincheng's shots, helping his team take 5th place.

In the second leg of the 7th place playoffs of the 2020 CSL, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua beat Hebei China Fortune 1-0 through a late penalty. After winning the series 5-1, Shenhua claimed 7th place.

Henan Jianye claimed a 2-1 victory against Tianjin Teda in the second leg of their playoffs for ninth place on Tuesday, finishing the season ninth in the final standings.

In the second clash between Guangzhou R&F and Dalian Professional, R&F defeated Dalian 4-0 and finished in 11th place with a 4-3 victory in the series.

In the second leg of the 13th place playoff, Shenzhen edged Qingdao Huanghai 2-1, winning the playoffs 5-1 on aggregate.

On Wednesday, Shijiazhuang Ever Bright will face Wuhan Zall in the second leg of the 15th place playoffs. The loser of the clash will be relegated from the league, and the winner of the series will set up a new playoff clash against the runner-up of the second division league, Zhejiang Energy Greentown, fighting for a ticket to the 2021 CSL.