On May 30, 2023, the second round of the AFC Cup began, and the Central League One team Dongguan Guanlian successfully advanced to the third round by defeating Dalian Zhixing on penalties on the road. In the next round, Dongguan Guanlian will host defending champion Shandong Taishan, with matches scheduled for June 23rd, 24th or 25th.
In the second round of the CFA Cup, Central League One teams faced off with the teams that advanced in the previous round. In the last round, all the Chinese B teams managed to qualify, but no Chinese Championship teams made it through. According to the schedule, the Central B teams have the home field advantage in this round, and Dalian Zhixing, ranked third in the North Zone, welcomed the challenge from Dongguan Guanlian, a Central A team. Zhao Xuebin scored a goal for Dalian Zhixing in the 81st minute. In the 95th minute, Ruan Jun's free kick broke through Dalian Zhixing's goal to equalize the score, and the two teams were tied in regular time. The match went to penalty kicks.
In the penalty shootout, Dalian Zhixing missed the chance and lost to Dongguan Guanlian by a total score of 6-7, failing to advance to the next round. Dongguan Guanlian, on the other hand, has successfully progressed to the third round and will host Shandong Taishan, with the date of the match possibly being June 23rd, 24th or 25th, the exact time to be confirmed by the AFC Cup officials.
According to the schedule, after the 12th round of the Chinese Super League will enter the interval, the next 13th round of matches, Taishan team will face Changchun Yatai at home on June 29th. In the FA Cup match with Dongguan Guanlian, there is still a lot of room for Taishan's lineup to be adjusted.
