The AFC Cup is in the spotlight and the action is heating up. In the quarterfinals, Beijing Guoan hosted Shandong Taishan at the Workers' Stadium, and both teams fought hard to qualify for the quarterfinals. It is worth mentioning that both teams are old faces in the AFC Cup. Beijing Guoan has won the AFC Cup four times, while Shandong Taishan has been on top eight times. The match attracted nearly 50,000 fans, and the referee for the match was the famous Ma Ning.
Before the match, many fans had optimistic expectations that Beijing Guoan could advance to the quarterfinals. On the one hand, they have the advantage of home field, on the other hand, the refereeing of Ma Ning may also have an impact on the result of the match. As we all know, home field advantage can often be the difference between victory and defeat at critical moments. Shandong Taishan knew that this was a tough game, and they had to go all out. At the beginning of the game, Shandong Taishan quickly entered the state and took the lead in the offense. Only in the 10th minute, Zheng Zheng created a free kick that almost came true. All the fans who watched the live broadcast were impressed by the free kick, but unfortunately, the ball hit the post and bounced out. Luckily, Shandong Taishan made a timely adjustment, and with a clever assist from Li Yuan, Chen Pu's header from close range gave Taishan a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the hosts Beijing Guoan gradually found the rhythm of the game and started to launch a crazy counter-attack. In the 19th minute, Zhang Xizhe's long pass was so precise that it tore through Taishan's defense. Kang Xiangyou quickly stepped in and drove straight into the penalty area. Wang Dalei made a mistake in defense, resulting in his own injury, and the two teams were back to the same starting line. Subsequently, the intensity of both defenses increased and the game entered a tug-of-war. In the 38th minute, Taishan won a corner kick and Moises added a shot in front of the goal, but the referee ruled it offside and the first half ended in a 1-1 draw.
In the second half, the game became more and more stalemated, and the physical confrontation between the two sides became more and more intense. Referee Manning showed 14 yellow cards and 1 red card. Many fans were dissatisfied with the referee's decisions and felt that the game had lost its spectacle. Despite both sides attacking and defending, neither side was able to form an effective shot on goal. In the end, the two sides drew 1-1.
In the penalty shootout, both teams hit their first four penalties, but Beijing Guoan's Jiang Xiangyou kicked the ball too hard in the fifth round and sent it flying. Shandong Taishan's Fellaini hit the ball firmly, and finally beat Beijing Guoan by 6-5, advancing to the quarterfinals of the AFC Cup, and will face Liaoning led by Xie Hui in the next round. After the match, Shandong Taishan goalkeeper Wang Dalei said that penalty kicks are victory, as Guoan has lost to Shandong Taishan four times in penalty kicks. After Beijing Guoan lost the penalty shootout, some players couldn't help but shed tears, after all, it is regrettable that they failed to advance to the quarterfinals despite their dominance. However, Shandong Taishan knew that they were not the strongest team, as they did not have the advantage of the home field and the referee's decision was not in their favor, but with excellent preparation and full commitment, they finally won the game.
Shandong Taishan's promotion to the semi-finals is not an easy task. As we all know, at the beginning of the new season, Shandong Taishan suffered from the storm of changing the manager. Hao Wei was investigated for suspected match-fixing and other issues, and the team's status has been in the doldrums. Later, South Korean coach Cui Kangxi took over the team, as a new knife, the team's status quickly rebounded, becoming the favorite to win the championship.
At the same time, the fans who pay attention to Shandong Taishan also found that the team has been criticized a lot this season due to the fake ball case, and some of the referee's penalties are not favorable to Shandong Taishan. Fortunately, the team has a tough winning culture and managed to overcome the difficulties. So, will Shandong Taishan be able to win the AFC Cup in the coming matches?
