The narrow points gap among Dalian Yingbo, Beijing Guoan, and Shandong Taishan keeps the Chinese Super League runner-up race highly competitive, reflected in their clustered market probabilities near 50 percent. Dalian strengthened its standing with a 3-1 win over Shenzhen Peng City, Beijing Guoan edged Qingdao West Coast 1-0, and Shandong Taishan routed Zhejiang 5-0 in the latest round. Chengdu Rongcheng's 0-3 defeat to Shanghai Port preserved title suspense ahead of its direct clash with Dalian, yet the battle for second hinges on form, remaining fixtures, and potential points swings among these sides over the final matches.