The much-anticipated Battle of Beijing and Lu came to a close in the recently concluded quarterfinals of the FA Cup. Shandong Taishan, the eight-time champions and defending champions, won the final with a thrilling battle. Although Beijing Guoan drew 1-1 with Taishan in regular time on the road, they were unable to turn the situation around in extra time. In the end, Taishan defeated Guoan 5-4 on penalties to advance to the semifinals with a 6-5 aggregate score. It was a hard-earned victory for Taishan, especially with a depleted squad.
On the day of the match, the away match against Beijing Guoan saw an influx of about 50,000 spectators and an exceptionally warm atmosphere. Coach Choi Kang-hee followed his own tactical setup and led his team in a 4141 formation. In the starting lineup, Kressan played as a center forward, and power players such as Fellaini and Moises were on the field. On the bench, players such as Wang Tong and Fernando were on standby. At the beginning of the match, Taishan quickly got into the state and took the lead in the 10th minute. Zheng Zheng took a free kick and Li Yuan added a goal, giving Shandong Taishan a 1-0 lead. However, Guoan quickly equalized in the 18th minute, Zhang Xizhe's precise long pass, Kang Xiangyou's one-touch goal, making the score 1-1. As the game progressed, the two sides engaged in fierce confrontations, and referee Maning was in the spotlight, showing yellow cards frequently. Taishan came close to taking the lead again in regulation time, but Moises' shot was ruled offside. Going into overtime, Taishan still had the advantage, but in the end the two sides drew 1-1 and went into a penalty shootout. In the penalty shootout, all 5 Taishan players hit the target, while Guoan's 5th penalty taker Kang Xiangyu missed the penalty, Taishan won 5-4 and eliminated Guoan 6-6 on aggregate. In this match, Taishan created three miracles: breaking Guoan's record of 7 consecutive victories and 3 draws, approaching 9 titles with three consecutive victories, while infinitely approaching 4 consecutive titles. However, after the game, Beijing fans and reporters expressed strong dissatisfaction with Taishan. During the post-match conference, two Beijing reporters asked unreasonable questions to Cui Kangxi, sparking controversy. In addition, Taishan fans were verbally abused by Beijing fans on the subway, a video that was uploaded to the internet and sparked heated discussions.
