After South Korea's 3-0 drubbing of the Chinese men's soccer team, the players stepped into a vacation period. However, the internationals in Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua's uniforms are facing a tight vacation schedule. 25 November 2023, the AFC Cup final is about to kick off, so they have returned to their clubs in a hurry to focus on their preparations for the season finale.
Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua, as the leaders in the wave of professionalization of Chinese soccer, are one of the oldest and most powerful teams that have survived to this day. In the AFC Cup, they have repeatedly reached the final. Shandong Taishan, with a brilliant record of winning the Cup 8 times, is the dominant team, while Shanghai Shenhua is not far behind, winning 3 out of 6 finals, showing its deep Cup heritage.
The clash was the third meeting between Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua in the final of the F.A.C.A. Cup.In 1995, the first year of professional soccer, Shandong Taishan won its first F.A.C.A. Cup title with a surprise 2-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua at the Wutaishan Stadium in Nanjing.
In 2019, the two teams were reunited in the final of the F.A.C. Cup. Shandong Taishan took a 1-0 lead at home, only to be reversed 3-0 by Shenhua in Shanghai. After the match, Shandong Taishan's head coach Li Xiaopeng famously said "three boring sticks" when he was honored with the Chinese Super League's best coach award. It is worth mentioning that the one who beat Li Xiaopeng is the current head coach of Shandong Taishan, Cui Kangxi.
This time, Cui Kangxi led Shandong Taishan to face their old master Shanghai Shenhua, which attracted a lot of attention before the match. Although Shandong Taishan is stronger overall, Shanghai Shenhua should not be underestimated. This season, although Shenhua's offensive end of the slightly weak, but the defensive end of the performance, 13 1-0 victory and 7 1-1 draw, highlighting the Wu Jingui team "pragmatic" essence.
Cui Kangxi needs to be wary of Shenhua scoring first, and once Shandong Taishan fall behind with a number of foreigners out, Wu Jingui may resort to the "bus" tactic, making a comeback even more difficult. In a way, this match is a fierce clash between the two teams' old grudges.
