Zhejiang Team Struggles to Break the Curse! Unsuccessful Away Record in AFC Champions League, 1 Win and 7 Losses, 1 Match Ending in a Shutout

On October 24, in the third round of Group F of the AFC Champions League Second Division, Zhejiang Team lost 0-1 to Thai Premier League team Port FC away. This marks their second consecutive away loss this season, and over the 13-year history of participating in the AFC Champions League, Zhejiang Team has struggled to break the away curse, with an away record of just 1 draw and 7 losses.

In the 2011 season, when the team was still known as Hangzhou Greentown, Zhejiang Team made its debut in the AFC Champions League but finished at the bottom of the group with only 1 win, 2 draws, and 3 losses in 6 matches. In all three away games, Zhejiang Team suffered defeats, losing 0-3 to Seoul FC, 0-1 to Al Ain, and 0-1 to Japanese side Nagoya Grampus, thus suffering three consecutive away losses.

In the 2023-24 season, after a 12-year absence, Zhejiang Team returned to the AFC Champions League. However, they suffered a heavy blow in their first away game in Thailand, losing 1-4 to Buriram United. They then faced J2 League team Kofu Wind Forest in Japan and lost again 1-4. It wasn’t until the final match against A-League side Melbourne City that they managed to secure their first away point in the AFC Champions League with a 1-1 draw, ultimately finishing third in the group.

This season, with the AFC Champions League split into an elite league and a second division, Zhejiang Team had a golden opportunity to rewrite their history in the absence of many strong teams in the second division. However, they lost 0-2 in their first away game against Lion City Sailors. In the face of Port FC, the team that they eliminated in the playoff last season, Zhejiang Team suffered another defeat, losing 0-1.

To date, in 8 away matches in the AFC Champions League, Zhejiang Team’s record stands at 1 draw and 7 losses, scoring only 3 goals in total, and failing to score in both the 2011 season and this season away from home.