Ghana's Frank Acheampong helps Dalian Yingbo erase a 14-point gap and snatch a first-ever Chinese Super League title on a wild final day.
Ghanaian winger Frank Acheampong is a Chinese Super League champion. He played a key part as Dalian Yingbo FC completed one of the great title heists, winning the 2026 crown, the club's first, after a stunning late-season surge.
Dalian began the final day three points behind Chengdu Rongcheng but did their job in front of a 60,000-strong crowd, beating Tianjin Jinmen Tigers 3-1. Chengdu, who had led the table from the opening weekend, then crumbled. They lost 3-2 away to Shandong Taishan, and the title slipped out of their hands.
It was a collapse years in the making. Chengdu needed just one point from their last four games to be champions and lost all four. Dalian, once 14 points adrift, closed the gap week after week and finally overtook them. Chengdu actually finished with the better goal difference, but the league settles ties on head-to-head record, and Dalian had beaten them in both meetings.
Acheampong was a big part of the story, ending the 2025/26 campaign with 12 goals and four assists. He also hit a purple patch near the end of the run, with a four-goal performance that helped keep the title charge alive when it mattered most.
For the Ghanaian, it is a career-defining moment and another proud entry on the list of African players making their mark in China. Dalian's fans will never forget this comeback, and Acheampong's name will sit right at the heart of it.
