In the third round of the June 22-25, 2023 Chinese FA Cup, the top 16 teams of the Chinese Super League (CSL) were all present. Except for Chengdu Rongcheng, Cangzhou Lions and Shenzhen, who unexpectedly went out of the competition, the rest of the Chinese Super League teams managed to advance to the next round. Chongqing Tongliang Dragons, Nantong Haimen Kotanyi and Qingdao West Coast's "The Following Victory" from the First Division managed to beat the Premier League teams and advance to the quarterfinals. Tongliang Dragons and Keranjian will face each other directly in the fourth round, with the winner going through to the last eight.
C.B. team shows its dark horse character
As lower level teams are given priority to choose their home field and the use of foreign aid by Chinese Super League teams is restricted, the strength gap between teams of different levels is narrowed, increasing the suspense of the game. On June 23rd, Chongqing Tongliang Dragons hosted Chengdu Rongcheng in a 90-minute battle that ended in a 0-0 draw, with Tongliang Dragons winning 4-2 on penalties and Chengdu Rongcheng going out. Earlier, Tongliang Dragons showed their dark horse power by sweeping China's first division team Shijiazhuang 3-0 in the second round of the FA Cup. Nantong Haimen Kotanyi drew 1-1 with Shenzhen at home, and won 5 out of 5 penalties in the penalty shootout, eliminating Shenzhen 6-5 on aggregate, and advancing hand in hand with Tongliang Dragons.
West Coast beat Cangzhou Lions in another C.B. team win
China West Coast once again wrote the book on the second division team with a 2-1 win over Cangzhou Lions of the Chinese Super League, thanks to goals from Tian Yong and Guo Yi. Qingdao West Coast has been performing well in the China First Division this season and is currently second in the league table, with balanced strength in both offense and defense.
New coach makes his mark in the FA Cup
In addition to the dark horse performances of the two teams from China B, this round of the FA Cup also welcomed a number of new coaches. Beijing Guoan, under the leadership of new coach Suarez, beat Zibo Qisheng 1-0 and advanced smoothly. Wuhan Sanzhen, under the guidance of new coach Gao, beat Jiangxi Lushan 5-1, showing strong offensive firepower. Nantong Zhiyun, on the other hand, welcomed the coaching of Barcelona star Gabriel Garcia and got off to a good start with a 3-0 away win over Heilongjiang Bingcheng.
Fourth round matchups set
With the conclusion of this round of matches, the matchups for the fourth round of the 2023 CFA Cup have been finalized. According to the schedule, the eight matches of the fourth round will be played from July 25 to 26, still using the single-elimination system. According to the 2023 CFA Cup rules, the second-ranked team will be prioritized to play at home, while the two sides from the same tournament will decide the home field based on the league ranking of the previous season.
In the first half of the zone, Dalian Ren hosts Henan, Qingdao West Coast hosts Beijing Guoan, Meizhou Hakka hosts Shandong Taishan, and Shanghai Port hosts Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. In the second half, Nantong Zhiyun hosts Wuhan Sanzhen, Changchun Yatai hosts Qingdao Hainiu, and Zhejiang hosts Shanghai Shenhua in the "Yangtze River Delta Derby". Chongqing Tongliang Dragons and Nantong Haimen Kotanyi will face each other directly, with Tongliang Dragons prioritizing home field.
