Player-coach Zheng steals the show

Marouane Fellaini's strike may have helped Shandong Taishan win its fifth Chinese Super League title on Sunday, however the performance of the weekend arguably belonged to Guangzhou FC veteran Zheng Zhi.

Ever since being appointed player-coach by the eight-time CSL champion earlier this month, fans have been waiting to see if the 41-year-old would actually play any minutes in the concluding phase of CSL season.

The answer to that question was yes, with the former Team China international producing an imperious midfield display on Sunday afternoon to help Guangzhou FC forget its financial troubles for 90 minutes with a 1-0 win over Beijing Guo'an.

Zheng orchestrated proceedings in a masterful performance, laying on an assist for Deng Hanwen's first-half winner before being replaced by young midfielder He Chao in the 61st minute.

"The competitiveness of 41-year-old Zheng was very impressive. In his case, one head coach is more effective than two regular players. He made his plans on the bench and he showed his magic on the pitch. He should think about returning to the national team. With Zheng as playmaker, we should not worry about Team China's midfield being soft again," sports commentator Han Qiaosheng wrote on Weibo.

Zheng started his career in 2001 at Shenzhen Jianlibao, moving onto Shandong Luneng before being loaned to then English top-flight side Charlton Athletic in 2006. After a short stint in Scotland with Celtic in 2009, Zheng returned to China a year later to sign for Guangzhou FC, which was then known as Guangzhou Evergrande.

Zheng went on to establish himself as a defensive rock for Guangzhou, winning eight CSL titles with the club, and becoming an icon of Chinese soccer by being named Asian Footballer of the Year in 2013.

After seeing Shandong beat second-placed Guangzhou to the CSL title with three games to spare on Sunday, Zheng vowed to do his utmost to ensure his team challenges again next term.

"Actually big brother Zhi always wants to play. Given the tactics of the previous matches, he always planned to be a substitute previously. But this game, after considering everything with the coaching team, we believed he was in the right physical shape and we made the change," said Liu Zhiyu, a Guangzhou FC coach.

"Given the defensive pressure in midfield, we adjusted our plans and let Zheng Zhi play 60 minutes. Whether or not we will have the same arrangement in future will depend on the specific situation of each match. It's by no means a certainty.

"Actually all the players today did the best they could and they deserve the victory. All of us fought to the last second. We want to thank all the players, staff and fans who have been supporting us."