Odion Ighalo’s Chinese Super League club, Changchun Yatai has been relegated to the second tier division after they lost 2-0 to Dalian Yifang at the Dalian Sports Center Stadium in Sunday’s final league game .
A goal in each half from Duvier Riascos and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco sent Changchun Yatai back to the second division for the first time in 15 years.
Changchun Yatai finished with 32 points from 30 games
Ighalo who missed the game against Dalian Yifang through a hamstring injury netted 21 goals for his team this season to finish as the second top scorer in the CSL.
The former Watford striker had scored 15 goals in the previous campaign.
Mikel Obi’s club Tianjin Teda meanwhile survived the drop on the final day despite losing 5-1 away to Guangzhou Evergrande at the Tianhe Stadium.
They finished on 32 points but enjoyed a better head-to-head against Changchun Yatai.
Shanghai SIPG won the 2017/18 Chinese Super League (CSL) title for the first time ever.
The title was the first top-tier league trophy for Shanghai since the establishment of the CSL in 2004.
Obafemi Martins Shanghai Shenhua finished seventh in the CSL standing with 38 points from 30 matches.
Both Ighalo and Mikel will play no part in Nigeria’s clash against South Africa in Saturday’s 2019 Africa Cup Of Nations qualifier in Johanessburg.