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Rivalry with former Evergrande contributes to Shanghai Port's success, says defender Wang Shenchao

BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Port defender Wang Shenchao has partly attributed the Shanghai side's success this season to its rivalry with former Guangzhou Evergrande.

Shanghai Port pulled off a double in their 2024 campaign - clinching the Chinese Super League (CSL) title before winning the Chinese FA Cup.

The Shanghai team's CSL triumph was especially thrilling as they overtook their cross-city rival Shanghai Shenhua by one point in the penultimate round and held on to their lead until the end.

"This season has mainly been about the rivalry between Shenhua and us," said Wang, who also mentioned that Shanghai Port's past fierce rivalry with Guangzhou Evergrande, now called Guangzhou FC, has enriched their experience in coping with a close race.

"When we competed with Guangzhou Evergrande, we once played six games with each other in a season. It was a fierce rivalry," Wang said.

"The rivalry with Guangzhou Evergrande has taught us how to keep a positive attitude in the thick of a race to perform our best when it matters most," he added.