In the afternoon of August 22, Yanjing Brewery 2022 China Football Association Cup first round of fierce fighting is in full swing, after 9 games of fierce fighting, 18 Chinese League One teams in Dalian, Tangshan, Nanjing, three major tournaments to start a single knockout match, 9 successful promotion to the second round of the team's list was revealed: Gusu Dongwu, Zibo Cuju, Qingdao Haixiu, Shijiazhuang Kungfu, Kunshan team, Jiangxi Beidamen, Guangxi Pingguo Hahhong, Sichuan Jiuiu Niu and Nanjing City. The AFC Cup has always been a stage for young talent and a cradle for the rise of dark horses, and the first round of the tournament fully demonstrated this feature.
Young talent on display
The first round of the AFC Cup was full of highlights, with young players such as Wang Hansheng, Liu Tianyang and Hao Kesen performing well. On the first day of the first round, Gusu Dongwu beat Beijing Polytechnic 2-0, in which Kaiser scored two goals and won the best player. Zibo Cuju beat Shanghai Jiading Huifeng 3-1, taking the lead on penalties just two minutes into the match, and Wang Hansheng scored in the 50th minute to extend the lead. Shanghai Jiading Huifeng pulled a goal back in the 57th minute, but Zibo Cuju added a second in the 92nd minute to seal the 3-1 victory.
Wang Hansheng, who was named man of the match after scoring a goal in the game, was just 21 years old and had scored his first career goal when he broke through Qingdao Hainiu's goal on August 8 in the Central League. The young player, who has trained at clubs such as Valencia and Villarreal, is steadily moving forward.
Cold streaks, dark horses emerge
The AFC Cup has always had its share of cold streaks, and on August 21st, Nantong Zhiyun, the top-ranked team in the Central League, was defeated by Shijiazhuang Kungfu 0-2, failing to qualify for the next round of the competition. Liu Tianyang and Rosario scored for Shijiazhuang Kung Fu. It is worth mentioning that the match coincided with the 23rd birthday of Liu Tianyang, who is also a player trained by Shijiazhuang Kung Fu's youth training system.
In the other match, Sichuan Jiuiu beat Beijing BeiShiU 4:2 and Xia Dalong won the best player with two goals. Xia Dalong joined Sichuan Jiuniu in 2020 and has played for many teams before.
In the match between Nanjing City and Qingdao Youth Island, the two sides battled to a 0:0 draw in 90 minutes and went into a penalty shootout. Hao Kesen, the goalkeeper of the Nanjing City team, pounced on the opponent's penalty kick and sealed the victory for the team. Hao Kesen, a 22 year old player from Nanjing City's youth training system, was named the best player after the match, and was the only goalkeeper to receive this award in this round of the tournament.
In another penalty shootout, Heilongjiang Bingcheng and Qingdao Hainiu drew 2-2, and after eight rounds of penalty shootouts, Qingdao Hainiu advanced to the next round with a total score of 10:9. In other matches, Kunshan beat Liaoning Shenyang City 4:2, Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic defeated Guangxi Pingguo Ha Loud and Clear 0:1, and Jiangxi Beidamen beat Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard 4:3.
On September 1, the Yanjing Brewery 2022 CFA Cup Round of 32 draw will be held.The Round of 32 includes 18 Chinese Super League (CSL) teams, the nine CSL First Division (CFA) teams that have already progressed to the next round, as well as the top three teams from this season's CSL Second Division (CSL B) and the two final-stage Chinese Champions League (CCL) teams that have the best results and have qualified for the tournament. The second to sixth rounds will be played between November 22, 2022 and January 8, 2023, with the second round of 32 and the third round of eight finals being single-elimination, the fourth round of quarter-finals and the fifth round of semifinals being home-and-away double-elimination, and the final being a single-legged tiebreaker.
