Heading into the last 8 of the 2023 FA Cup season, the night of August 31st Beijing time witnessed the last two thrilling duels. Shandong Taishan battled Guoan in a 1:1 draw on the road, with no result in extra time, and eventually narrowly won 5:4 on penalties; while Qingdao Hainiu showed strong offensive firepower with a 3:0 win over Nantong Zhiyun.
Of the four teams in the final eight, the match between Guoan and Shandong Taishan was undoubtedly the most interesting. The duel between the two teams was very intense, only 9 minutes after the start, Shandong Taishan seized the opportunity, Zheng Zheng's precise free kick shot was blocked by the Guoan goalposts, but Li Yuan quickly followed up and sent the ball into the empty net, Shandong Taishan 1:0 lead, only 9 minutes after the start, Shandong Taishan seized the opportunity, Zheng Zheng's precise free kick shot was blocked by the Guoan goalposts, but Li Yuan quickly followed up and sent the ball into the empty net, Shandong Taishan 1:0 lead, Zheng Zheng's precise free kick shot was blocked by the Guoan goalposts, but Li Yuan quickly followed up and sent the ball into the empty net, Shandong Taishan 1:0 lead. Only 9 minutes after the start, Shandong Taishan seized the opportunity, Zheng Zheng's precise free kick shot was blocked by Guoan's goal post, but Li Yuan quickly followed up and sent the ball into the empty goal, Shandong Taishan 1:0 lead.
However, Guoan quickly equalized the score in the 15th minute. Zhang Xizhe sent a long pass in the backfield, Kang Xiangyou high-speed insertion, shrugged off two defenders, calmly sent the ball into the goal, Guoan 1:1 equalizer. Subsequently, Guoan manager Suarez ran to the Shandong Taishan bench and waved his fist due to excessive celebrations, a scene that appeared to be more or less out of control.
In the second half, the two sides launched a more intense battle, but not many opportunities. Referee Manning's penalties also caused some controversy, both coaches Suarez and Cui Kangxi were yellow card warning, Shandong Taishan assistant coach is a red card off the field. Manning showed a total of 14 yellow cards and 1 red card, the penalty is quite controversial.
In the penalty shootout, Shandong Taishan eliminated Guoan with a thrilling 5:4 (total score 6:5) and advanced to the semifinals. Last season's Chinese Super League runners-up Shandong Taishan and third-place finisher Zhejiang met in the final, with Shandong Taishan beating Zhejiang 2:1 to win the title. This season, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua both made it to the semifinals, and the two teams have yet to play each other. If the two teams advance, this season's AFC Cup final may be a repeat of the Chinese Super League's second and third showdown.
