Chinese Super League: Oscar Taty Maritu becomes joint-top scorer

Congolese striker Oscar Taty Maritu is on course for his best-ever season in Chinese football after scoring twice on Sunday to lead Yunnan Yukun to a thrilling 4-3 victory at Shenzhen Xinpengcheng in the Chinese Super League.

Visitors Yunnan Yukun got off to a flying start at the Bao’an Stadium with Xu Xin and Caio Vinicius scoring in quick succession for a 2-0 lead. Maritu then increased the lead to three goals when he ran onto a long ball and sent his header over the Shenzhen goalkeeper.

But the hosts put in a spirited comeback effort. Eden Kartsev scored twice on assists from former Aston Villa striker Wesley Moraes to leave the match close at halftime.

Maritu continued to terrorize the hosts’ defense and he provided the crucial moment to put Yunnan out of reach. Moments after his excellent run and cross went to waste due to poor finishing, the former FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo player decided to do things himself. Playing a quick combination with Brazilian forward Cleber in the 76th minute, Maritu closed in on goal before finishing low for his second goal.

Through five matches, Maritu has five goals to leave himself level with Shanghai Shenhua forward Rafael Ratao among the top scorers.

Maritu’s rise to stardom in Chinese Super League

The 26-year-old, who also previously represented New Jak FC in his native DRC, moved to China with now defunct club Yanbian Funde in 2018. A year later, he led China’s second tier League One with 22 goals after moving to Shaanxi Chan’gan Athletic and earned a transfer to the Super League with Cangzhou Mighty Lions (known as Shijiazhuang Ever Bright at the time).

From there, he became a constant presence in the Chinese top flight with 28 league goals along with 18 assists over five seasons with Cangzhou. His club dissolved at the end of the 2024 campaign, which allowed Maritu to move to his current club.

And now he is looking to achieve his best season since starring with Shaanxi in League One back in 2019. Maritu has been at the center of discussions over obtaining Chinese nationality to represent the China national team but those discussions dissipated in late 2024.

 

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However, if he continues to perform among the top-rated Brazilian forwards and compete for top scorer, the desire to naturalize Maritu could become a hot topic once again.