After a heartbreaking 0-3 loss, China's men's soccer team is on their way home for their holiday break. However, for those internationals wearing the uniforms of Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua, they didn't enjoy much rest. 2023 FA Cup final on November 25th is approaching, and they had to end their vacation early to return to the team and go all out to prepare for the season finale.
Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua, as the oldest teams in the professionalization of Chinese soccer, have appeared in the final of the AFC Cup many times. Shandong Taishan even won the championship 8 times, sitting in the AFC Cup dominant position. Shanghai Shenhua is also not willing to be weak, 6 times into the final, 3 times to win the title, showing the deep cup heritage.
The two teams met in the AFC Cup final for the third time in the history of the competition.In 1995, in the first AFC Cup final after the professionalization of soccer, Shandong Taishan won the first AFC Cup trophy in the club's history with a 2-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua at Wutaishan Stadium in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.In 2019, the two teams met again in the final, with Shandong Taishan leading the game 1-0 at home only to suffer a 3-0 comeback at Shanghai Shenhua in Shanghai. After the match, Shandong Taishan's head coach, Mr. Lee, was able to get a 3-0 lead over Shanghai Shenhua in the home game. After the game, Shandong Taishan head coach Li Xiaopeng in the Super League best coach award ceremony, leaving the classic quote "three boring stick". It is worth mentioning that the one who beat Li Xiaopeng is the team's current head coach Cui Kangxi. The matchup between the Shandong Taishan team led by Cui Kangxi and his old team Shanghai Shenhua has attracted a lot of attention. Although Shandong Taishan is slightly better in overall strength, Shanghai Shenhua is not to be underestimated. This season, although Shanghai Shenhua's offense is a little weak, but their defense is excellent, 13 1-0 wins and 7 1-1 draws, reflecting Wu Jingui's team's "pragmatic" style. In this match, Cui Kangxi needs to be wary of Shanghai Shenhua scoring first. Once Shandong Taishan falls behind with several foreigners out, Wu may adopt the "bus" tactic, making the turnaround even more difficult. In a way, this game is a confrontation between the two teams.
