In the fierce competition of soccer, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua are regarded as the favorite candidates for the final of the FA Cup, and many soccer fans are eagerly waiting.
On the night of August 31st, the top four teams of the Chinese Football Association Cup were announced. Shandong Taishan and Dalian people meet narrowly, while Shanghai Shenhua faces the challenge of Qingdao Hainiu. Numerous fans have speculated that Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua may continue the story of the Shanghai-Lu duel in the 2019 AFC Cup final.
Beijing Guoan suffered a penalty shootout loss at home and failed to advance to the quarterfinals of the AFC Cup. In the quarter-final match, Shandong Taishan and Beijing Guoan started a fierce battle. In the first half, Shandong Taishan's foreign aid Moises hit the crossbar with a free kick, and Chen Pu scored with a supplementary shot; Beijing Guoan quickly responded with a precise long pass from Zhang Xizhe, and Jiang Xiangyou equalized the score with a single shot. Later, Taishan's forward Cressan scored again, but the referee ruled that he was offside first.
After 90 minutes of play, the game was tied 1-1 and went into overtime. As both sides failed to find a good opportunity to break through, the game turned into a penalty shootout amidst the sound of fouls. With Guoan's foreign aid Jiang Xiangyou on the field in the fifth round, Shandong Taishan firmly put the fifth penalty kick into the game, and finally won the game by a total score of 6-5, advancing to the semi-finals.
On the same day, Qingdao Hainiu swept Nantong Zhiyun 3-0 on the road to advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face Shanghai Shenhua in the semifinals.
In the previous matches, Shanghai Shenhua and Dalian had both successfully advanced to the semi-finals. Facing the dark horse of this season's AFC Cup, Chongqing Tongliang Dragons, who remain undefeated for 16 rounds in the second division, Shanghai Shenhua had the last laugh with a score of 2-0 with the support of their home fans. Although Chongqing Tongliang Dragons played aggressively, Shenhua eventually won with their rich experience.
After the game, many players were in tears. Team coach Linlin said, "We will return to the training ground and continue to work hard to improve. Seeing the young players shedding tears, I know they still have a lot of room for improvement. I hope that with our joint efforts, we can witness Shanghai Shenhua's glory again in the league in the next few years."
