Losing a two-goal lead and being swept in the sibling derby–Ross is not the only one disappointed.

Written by Zuo Rui. The second encounter between the Aloisi brothers concluded with Zhejiang Club Greentown's second loss. In a way, the 2-3 home defeat was more bitter than the 0-4 away result—in this match on the evening of the 15th, older brother Ross was leading by two goals but was ultimately reversed by three straight goals from Chengdu Rongcheng, commanded by his younger brother John.

Before the Hangzhou reunion, both Australian brothers were under the threat of dismissal. After this battle, Chengdu Rongcheng broke free from a six-game winless streak and continued to lead the Chinese Super League standings with a 14-point advantage. With only seven rounds left in the league, winning the title seemed like a sure thing. Meanwhile, Zhejiang fell out of the top ten and had to face not only the chants of "Ross step down" echoing through Huanglong Stadium.

The 22nd round was postponed due to a typhoon, and with no player injuries, Zhejiang was well-rested and fully prepared. Their advantage in this round was more than just home field. Given that both head coaches were loyal to their respective clubs, and the rivalry between the two sets of fans that started in the China League One, everyone wanted to pull off a comeback.

Just three minutes into the match, the home team's corner kick tactic worked again as Cheng Jin assisted Park Jin-seop, and the South Korean headed in his first CSL goal. Then Cardoso was brought down in the box by Felipe before shooting, and after a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty. In the 20th minute, Mitritsa scored from the spot, giving the home side a two-goal lead.

After that, VAR intervened twice, and both times it ruled that the away team had committed a foul first, disallowing the goals. However, before the halftime whistle, Felipe, who had caused three stoppages in the game, scored a legitimate goal for the visitors. The first half had 12 minutes of stoppage time. John's team dominated both offensively and defensively. Ross's lineup, though more flexible, was sometimes smooth and sometimes sluggish as it frequently switched between 5-4-1, 4-4-2, and 5-2-3 formations.

The second half's focus remained on Felipe. First, he knocked down goalkeeper Zhao Bo and received a yellow card, then equalized in the 68th minute. In the 90th minute, substitute Baihelamu performed a miraculous turnaround for Chengdu Rongcheng. In contrast, although Zhejiang's starters and substitutes fought hard, neither the introduction of No. 10 Toric nor veteran No. 9 Gao Di, nor the final nine minutes of stoppage time, brought any significant improvement to their attack.

Losing to his younger brother twice in two embarrassing ways was the last thing Ross wanted. As John said before the match, "This contest is not a duel between brothers but a competition between two clubs. Each of us is responsible for our own team's work. We won't have any communication before the game. Maybe after the game there will be."

In a rare sibling derby, the losing side always invites more suspicion, while a draw would put both in an even more awkward situation. Even in the first leg, John had more room to "concede gracefully," but the result was still ruthless. The second leg in Hangzhou once again confirmed that they were destined to be at odds and could never achieve a "win-win."

Even though the previous round was postponed, Ross arranged a 90-minute intra-squad scrimmage that day to maintain match fitness, yet a week later he still couldn't secure a win. Even the most trusted and hardworking Mitritsa missed a close-range shot and a one-on-one opportunity in the first half—on the first occasion, Zhejiang had produced one of their few effective attacking combinations; on the second, even after beating the goalkeeper, he still had to face the defenders' pressure and recovery.

"We had a good start. If we had taken our chances better and been more efficient in shooting, the first-half score could have been 4-1." In the post-match press conference, Ross's opening statement about the objective facts on the field sounded very weak and was not enough to give an explanation to the over 30,000 fans in attendance.

"Later, due to a series of dense mistakes, the opponent kept putting pressure on us and eventually scored the winning goal. We are very disappointed with this result." Ross and his team were not the only ones disappointed. In the next eight rounds, how to reverse the inconsistent overall form and how to rebuild confidence for themselves and the fans are the most urgent issues for Zhejiang to solve.

Otherwise, Ross's dismissal is just a matter of time—either soon or in the winter. With the current ranking, he will not be able to fulfill the contract and renew it. He knows this better than anyone. In terms of ranking, 11th place is not far from the relegation zone; in terms of points, 24 points makes the remaining sprint distance closer. Regardless of the strength of the opponents in the final eight rounds, only by giving full effort and keeping the big picture in mind can Zhejiang avoid wasting the 2026 season.