The first match of the 2023 season saw the return of the three-year Super Cup to the fans' attention in the form of the 2022 Chinese Super League champions Wuhan Three Towns and Shandong Taishan FA Cup winners. Last season the two teams had four matches, two in the league, 1-1, and two rounds of the FA Cup, Wuhan Three Towns used a substitute lineup, and Taishan won two matches and managed to advance, the match was also the highlight of the tournament as the three towns' new assistance, Wei Shihao, and his old boss, Taishan, met again after the two teams signed in the winter window.
In their starting lineups, both teams fielded their strongest combinations. Wuhan Three Town used a 33 attacking formation, with Liu Dianzai guarding the goal and three center backs in Liu Yiming and Wallace High School One. Deng Hanwen split left and right, Stan Qiu and He Chao partnered in midfield, and Davies, Yakubu and Wei Shihao partnered the three strikers. Taishan also had 343 lineups. Han Rongze guarded City, Zheng Zheng, Jadason and Shi Ke, Moises, Sun Junho, Ji Xiang and Song Long. Up front, Guo Tianyu centers, Delgado and Chen Pu left and right wingers.
The game began with both teams quickly moving into attack mode. Three towns pressed forward with three lines and pressed high. Taishan's backline was hard to get the ball out and there were not many attacking chances. Newcomers Wei Shihao and Xie Pengfei were active on both wings. In the 25th minute, Wei Shihao carried the ball on the left road and used his speed to break through Taishan's two-man pack. After the bottom line pass, Yakubu quickly arrived, head hammer goal, Han Rongze failed to save the ball.
Trailing behind, Taishan quickly organized a counterattack, but the positional attack was not a big threat. On the set piece, Sun Jun Hao's free kick also hit the wall. Before the end of the half, Hao Wei replaced Delgado with Sun Guowen. The latter's performance could not satisfy the coaching staff. On the other hand, in the three towns, the possession rate was close to 60% and the fast counterattack was still sharp, returning to the lounge with a 1-goal lead.
In the second half, Hao Wei adjusted again. Wang Tong replaced Zheng Zheng, and Taishan counterattacked with full force. On the contrary, Sanzhen was not in a hurry and mainly controlled the ball and consumed time. The degree of fighting between the two sides decreased due to the decline in physical fitness. Taishan was limited by the speed of Yakubu, Wei Shihao and Xie Pengfei. The third line didn't dare to press completely. The two wings did not have enough support for Guo Tianyu, the characteristics could not be played and the chances were limited. In the 55th minute, Taishan made another substitution.
In the 81st minute, Liu Dengzha made a cheap mistake and opened the scoring on Liu Binbin's back. The ball came to Sun Guowen's feet and went back to Liu Binbin. The latter pushed the ball to score. However, according to VAR's judgment, Sun Guowen was offside and the goal was invalid. In the 87th minute, Sun Junho grabbed the ball and stepped on Davis' ankle and was sent off with a red card. In the end, the three towns earned two goals to win their 2023 debut and the Super Bowl trophy for the first time in the team's history.
