In the first half of the match, all four matches showed a white-hot competition. The Chinese Super League powerhouse Shanghai Harbor had a two-goal lead over Zhejiang, but Zhejiang's resilience was not to be underestimated. Goals from Li Shenglong and Vargas gave Shanghai Harbor a two-goal lead, but Zhejiang didn't give up and Lucas managed to pull a goal back in the 77th minute. Had Zhejiang not been able to capitalize on their chances, Shanghai Harbour's road to victory would have been much more difficult. The match between Changchun Yatai and Tianjin Jinmen Tigers was even more intense, with a 2-2 draw in regulation time, and a frantic attack in overtime, which resulted in the Jinmen Tigers advancing to a three-goal victory over Shanghai Seaport.
Beijing Guoan took the lead against the Wuxi China League One team, only to have their opponents equalize in the 77th minute. Fortunately, Fabio and Zhang Yuning scored two goals in the last three minutes of the match to win 3-1 and advance to the next round. Beijing Guoan will face defending champions Shanghai Shenhua in their next match. Shanghai Shenhua faced the challenge of Shenzhen Xinpengcheng and could not break through the opponent's goal in either regular time or extra time. In the penalty shootout, Ma Zhen stepped up to help Shanghai Shenhua advance with a hard-fought 5-3 victory.
