Many fans predicted that Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua are expected to participate in the final.
On the evening of August 31st, the top four teams of the Chinese Football Association Cup were born. In the next semifinal, Shandong Taishan will face Dalian people, Shanghai Shenhua will face Qingdao Hainiu. Many fans predict that Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua are expected to repeat the story of Shanghai and Lu's confrontation in the 2019 AFC Cup final.
Beijing Guoan could not advance to the quarterfinals of the CFA Cup after losing to Shandong Taishan on penalties at home.
The focus of the CFA Cup quarter-final was Beijing Guoan hosting Shandong Taishan. In the first half, Shandong Taishan's foreigner Moises hit the post with a free kick, and Chen Pu made up for it; Beijing Guoan immediately changed colors. Zhang Xizhe's exquisite long pass assisted Kang Xiangyou's one-two equalizer. Then Taishan striker Kressan broke the goal, but the referee penalized the offside first.
After 90 minutes of fighting, the teams played 1-1 and went into overtime. Due to the lack of goal-breaking skills of both teams, the game went into a penalty shootout amidst constant fouls. With Guoan's foreign aid Jiang Xiangyou playing in the fifth round, Shandong Taishan steadily scored the fifth penalty kick, and finally Shandong Taishan advanced with a total score of 6-5 on the road. Next up, Shandong Taishan will face Dalian Ren, who have already advanced before.
That night, Qingdao Sea Bulls beat Nantong Zhiyun 3-0 on the road to advance to the quarterfinals, where the Sea Bulls will host Shanghai Shenhua in the semifinals.
Shanghai Shenhua and Dalian Ren were the first to advance to the semifinals after defeating their opponents in the previous two matches. Shanghai Shenhua's opponent was Chongqing Tongliang Dragons, the dark horse of this season's AFC Cup, who remained undefeated for 16 rounds in the second division. Supported by their home fans, Chongqing Tongliang Dragons played aggressively, outshooting Shenhua in terms of shots and offense.
However, the experienced Shenhua had the last laugh, winning 2-0 in the first half of the Hanchao and Fernando. Stopping the FA Cup in the last 8 made Chongqing Tongliang Dragons feel sorry. After the match, many players shed tears. Team coach Linlin said: "We return to the training ground, again progress. I saw many young players shed tears, but there is still a lot of room for improvement for them. I hope that through everyone's hard work, we can see Shanghai Shenhua again in the league in the next few years."
