At the start of the 2023 season, Wuhan Three Town won the F.A.C.A. Super Cup with a historic 2-0 victory over Shandong Taishan in their opening match, making them the 10th most glorified division.
Founded in 1995, the FA Super Cup was once known as the Super Cup of Chinese Football, and was suspended in 2004 before being revived and renamed the FA Super Cup in 2012. The Super Cup was suspended for three years due to an epidemic. The last edition of the tournament ended on February 23, 2019, with Shanghai Seaport winning the cup with a 2-0 record over Beijing Guoan.
Guangzhou has won the most Super Cups with four, followed by Shanghai Shenhua and Dalian with three each, while Beijing Guoan has been crowned twice.
As the top matchup of the 2022 season, Wuhan Sanzhen and Shandong Taishan shook hands 1-1 in the first round of the Chinese Super League, only to be eliminated 6-1 by Shandong Taishan in the last eight of the AFC Cup. The first match of the new season attracted 26,998 fans to the venue.
Both teams have signed 14 new recruits, and in this sparkling contest, the performance of the new recruits became the key to the game. Only 10 minutes into the game, Wei Shihao forced his way through a three-man defense on the left, and Aziz easily headed home to give Shandong Taishan the first lead.
Wei Shihao joined Shandong Taishan and once again became the nemesis of Wuhan Sanzhen. In nine matches against his old club, Wei Shihao scored six goals and dished out two assists. Aziz, who made his debut for Wuhan Sanzhen in just 10 minutes as Malcolm's replacement, is a force to be reckoned with as he has already contributed 10 goals in half a season in the Portuguese Super League.
In the 56th minute, Stanciu sent a precise direct feed and Xie Pengfei scored with a low left-footed shot from inside the penalty area to extend Wuhan Sanzhen's lead. It is worth mentioning that Aziz was also involved in the making of this goal.
In the end, Wuhan Sanzhen won the Super Cup for the first time after defeating Shandong Taishan, becoming the tenth team in history to win this honor. It is worth mentioning that the four clubs that had a glorious Super Cup run, including Dalian Shide, Liaoning, Jiangsu, and Beijing Orange and Fung, have now all disbanded.
The outstanding play of the two new recruits helped Shandong Taishan to win the AFC Cup. Wuhan Sanzhen's victory not only proved the strength of the team, but also showed the determination to defend the Super League title, and the Super Cup victory became a new chapter in the team's history.
