In the other match in the bottom half of the table, Shandong Taishan's recent form has picked up. Bi Jinhao opened the scoring with a header in the 8th minute, followed by Marcel's first goal for Shandong Taishan. In the second half, Kazaishvili extended the lead and Shandong Taishan took a 3-0 lead in just over 60 minutes. Although Zhong Yihao equalized for Henan club wine Zu Dukang in the 70th minute, it was too late to change the outcome of the match. Shandong Taishan successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2024 CFF Cup. With this win, Shandong Taishan achieved three consecutive victories in Asian and domestic matches, sweeping away the haze of three consecutive losses in the league, and the team's form is gradually returning to the right track.
This season, Shandong Taishan has been left at a significant distance from the top three in the league table. However, as consecutive winners of the CFA Cup from 2020 to 2022, the rebounding Shandong Taishan will undoubtedly remain a strong contender for this year's CFA Cup.
The AFC Cup is once again a Shanghai derby.
On August 22nd, the first half of this year's China Football Association Cup (CFAC) played two quarter-final matches. Shanghai Shenhua beat Beijing Guoan 2-1 with Teixeira's "world wave" and Hong Kong player Chen Jinyi's precise shot at home, successfully advancing to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. This season, Shanghai Shenhua and Beijing Guoan this pair of old rivals have met three times, Shenhua first victory. Looking back at history, the last time Shanghai Shenhua beat Beijing Guoan in a previous meeting between the two teams was two years ago.
In the other quarterfinal match, Shanghai Seaport won 3-0 against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, with the strongest lineup at home. Wu Lei scored a hat-trick in just 46 minutes. This season, Wu Lei played 28 matches in all competitions and scored 31 goals, breaking his personal record of 29 goals in a single season.
According to the schedule, the semi-finals of the 2024 CFA Cup will be played from September 24th to 26th. Shanghai Seaport will host Shanghai Shenhua in the fourth Shanghai derby of the season, which will once again ignite the passion of Chinese soccer. Previously, the two teams met three times in this year's Super Cup and league matches, with Shanghai Shenhua winning two and drawing one to remain undefeated.
The last time Harbour and Shenhua met in the CFA Cup dates back to the 2021 season. In the semi-finals, Harbour beat Shenhua 5-1 on the road and drew 1-1 at home, eliminating them from the final. This year, the two teams meet again in the Cup, and it will be interesting to see what kind of exciting matchup will take place.
In the other semi-final, Shandong Taishan hosted Chengdu Rongcheng. The two teams met twice in the league this season, with Shandong Taishan winning both home and away. For Chengdu Rongcheng, the next semifinal of the AFC Cup is the best time to avenge their loss in the league.
The marquee match between Shanghai Shenhua and Beijing Guoan attracted a lot of attention before the game started. Outside the Shanghai Stadium, the CFA Cup Championship trophy parade was in full swing, with enthusiastic Shenhua fans arriving early to take part in the Q&A interactions and photo-taking with the championship trophy. Former Shenhua player Wang Wei came to the scene in person to give benefits to the fans, and interacted with the youth training young players to challenge, the atmosphere was warm, and everyone took photos with Wang Wei. It is worth mentioning that Wang Wei had won the China Football Association Cup with Shenhua in 2019. In addition, during the halftime of the match, on behalf of the Organizing Committee of the CFA Cup, Xing Jianping, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Shanghai Football Association, presented Seda soccer balls and Shuleishi sports equipment to the Shanghai Tomato Youth Football Club and the winners of the youth group of the Shanghai leg of the Raging Arena, with the aim of encouraging the children's passion for soccer. Since the launch of the CFA Cup's "Seed Project", it has brought the joy and dreams of soccer to many schools and youth training organizations. In the future, the "Seed Program" will continue to reach out to all parts of the country, so that more schools and children can enjoy the joy of soccer, sow their dreams of soccer, and contribute to the future development of Chinese soccer.
