On the final night of the 2023 AFC Cup's eighth-place playoffs, two key matchups unfolded on the evening of August 31, Beijing time. Shandong Taishan's away match with Guoan was intense, both sides ended up with a 1:1 draw, into overtime is still no difference, penalty kicks Shandong Taishan won 5:4; while Qingdao Hainiu won 3:0 against Nantong Zhiyun, showing a strong strength.
The matchup between Guoan and Shandong Taishan was a topsy-turvy affair, with both sides battling it out in the opening minutes. Shandong Taishan won a free kick in the penalty area only 9 minutes into the match. Zheng Zheng shot a left-footed shot that went around the wall and straight to the goal, but was blocked by the near post. Immediately after, Li Yuan sensitive grab point, left-footed shot, the ball should sound into the net, Shandong Taishan 1:0 dream start. But Guoan did not discourage, in the 15th minute, Jiang Xiangyou high-speed insertion into the penalty area, calm half knife shot to equalize the score.
In the second half, the two sides engaged in a more intense battle, but there were few chances. Guoan manager Suarez ran to the Shandong Taishan bench to celebrate after the equalizer, an irrational act that was somewhat of a failure. In the 37th minute, Shandong Taishan got a corner kick opportunity, Moises shot in the air, the ball was blocked by the goalposts, Claesson supplemented the goal, but the first goal was blown away.
In the second leg of the match, the two sides were still locked in a stalemate, but referee Maning's decision sparked controversy. Suarez and Cui Kangxi were given yellow cards, and Shandong Taishan's assistant coach was sent off with a red card. Manning showed 14 yellow cards and 1 red card in the whole match, and the penalties were slightly confusing. In the extra time, Moises shot hard and the ball was apparently blocked by Li Lei, but Manning did not blow the corner kick, leading to Moises' dissatisfaction. Claesson then sprayed Manning with displeasure and received a yellow card.
After more than 100 minutes of fierce battle, the two sides to 1:1 draw into the penalty shootout. Both sides scored penalty kicks in the first four rounds, but in the fifth round, Kang Xiangyou's penalty kick flew out, and Fellaini scored steadily, and Shandong Taishan eliminated Guoan with a thrilling score of 5:4 (total score of 6:5) and advanced to the semifinals. Shandong Taishan will compete with Dalian Ren for a place in the final, while Shanghai Shenhua will face Qingdao Hainiu in the semifinals. If both teams advance, this season's AFC Cup final could be a repeat of the second and third place matchups in the Chinese Super League.
