China's men's soccer team instantly embarked on a vacation after a painful 0-3 victory. However, those internationals wearing the uniforms of Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua had to cut their vacation short as they are facing the pressing challenge of the AFC Cup final, which will be played on November 25, 2023, and they have quickly returned to their clubs to prepare for it. For this reason, they have quickly returned to their clubs and are fully engaged in their preparations.
Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua, as some of the oldest teams that survived the wave of professionalization in soccer, have repeatedly stood on the stage of the final of the F.A.C. Cup. Shandong Taishan is the most dominant team in the world, with a record of 8 championships to prove their supremacy. Shanghai Shenhua has also appeared in 6 finals, winning 3 times, and its deep cup heritage should not be underestimated.
This clash marks the third time that Taishan and Shenhua have met in an F.A.C. Cup final. Back in 1995, in the budding days of professional soccer, Shandong Taishan defeated the mighty Shanghai Shenhua 2-0 at the Wutaishan Stadium in Nanjing to take the first AFC Cup title in the club's history.
The clock ticked down to 2019 and the two teams met again in the F.A.C. Cup final. Taishan took a 1-0 lead at home, only to be reversed 3-0 by Shanghai Shenhua in the second round. After the match, Taishan's then manager Li Xiaopeng left the famous phrase "three boring sticks" when he received the award for the best coach in the Chinese Super League. It is worth mentioning that the one who reversed Li Xiaopeng was Cui Kangxi, who is now the head coach of Taishan.
This time, Choi Kang-hee's Taishan team is facing off with their old rivals Shanghai Shenhua again, which has attracted a lot of attention. Although the overall strength of the Taishan team is better, but the strength of Shenhua team should not be underestimated. This season, Shenhua's offense is slightly inadequate, but the defense is solid, in the two lines of action in 13 1-0 victory, and all the draws ended in 1-1. Wu Jingui's team has shown the ultimate in "pragmatism".
In this matchup, Cui Kangxi needs to be wary of the possibility of Shenhua scoring first. If Taishan concede the first goal in the absence of many foreigners, Wu Jingui may resort to the "bus" tactic, making it even more difficult to turn the game around. In a way, this match is a direct collision between the two teams.
