FA Cup Round of 16 matches! Chinese Super League teams occupy 13 seats The two teams of the Chinese Second Division show the "dark horse" background
From June 22 to 25, the 2023 Chinese FA Cup was contested in the third round, with all 16 Chinese Super League teams appearing, and in the end, except for Chengdu Rongcheng, Cangzhou Lions and Shenzhen 3 teams were eliminated, the other 13 Chinese Super League teams successfully advanced. Chongqing Tongliang Long and Nantong Haimen Kediyuan from China League B and Qingdao West Coast from China League One eliminated the Chinese Super League team with a weak victory, and their successful breakthrough also made the upcoming fourth round of the tournament even more suspenseful.
The two teams of the Central B showed the "dark horse" background
On the stage of the FA Cup "Football for All", because low-level teams can give priority to choosing home stadiums, and the use of foreign aid for Chinese Super League teams is also restricted, the strength gap between teams of different levels has been narrowed, and the suspense of promotion has been greatly improved. The match between Chongqing Tongliang Dragons and Chengdu Rongcheng on June 23 attracted great attention from the outside world because of the blessing of the "Sichuan-Chongqing derby" complex. Under the attention of 13,217 fans at the scene, Chongqing Tonglianglong finally drew 0-0 with Chengdu Rongcheng after 90 minutes, and won 4-2 against Tonglianglong on penalties, successfully blocking Chengdu Rongcheng, currently ranked third in the Chinese Super League standings, from the FA Cup Top 16. As the leader of the southern division of the China Second League this season, Chongqing Tongliang Long has already exploded in the second round of the FA Cup, sweeping the Chinese League One team Shijiazhuang Kung Fu 3-0.
In addition, Nantong Haimen Kediyuan, who also played in the China Second League, sat at home and drew 1-1 with Shenzhen in 90 minutes. In a penalty shootout, he made 5 of 5 free throws to eliminate Shenzhen 6-5 on aggregate and join Chongqing Tongliang Long to advance to the fourth round. According to the schedule, the two teams of China B will have a direct dialogue in the fourth round, and whoever wins will ensure that a lower team from the China Second League will advance to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, becoming the biggest "dark horse" of the 2023 Chinese FA Cup.
In addition, with the goals of Tian Yong and Guo Yi, the Chinese League One team Qingdao West Coast defeated the Chinese Super League team Cangzhou Lions 2-1, also completing the feat of "defeating the strong with weakness". Qingdao West Coast has performed well in the China League One this season and is currently in second place in the league table, with the two fronts going hand in hand, showing quite good competitiveness.
The new manager made a concentrated appearance in the FA Cup
In addition to the two "dark horses" of the Chinese Second Division, this round of the FA Cup also ushered in the concentrated appearance of new managers of many teams. The change of coach team has also performed well in this round of the FA Cup. Beijing Guoan, under the command of new coach Suarez, won Zibo Qisheng 1-0 away at Zibo and successfully advanced to the fourth round. With the departure of Dutchman Stanley, the technical and tactical style of the Guoan team is bound to make certain adjustments, and the FA Cup undoubtedly provides Suarez with an excellent opportunity to understand the team and familiarize himself with Chinese football.
Under the command of new manager Gao Qimian, Wuhan Three Towns defeated Jiangxi Lushan 5-1, recreating the powerful attacking firepower of the defending champions of the Chinese Super League, and foreign striker Yakubu Aziz scored two goals alone to gradually regain his scoring feeling. Nantong Zhiyun officially announced that Barça star Gabri Garcia joined the team on June 16 as the team's new manager, and the away match against Heilongjiang Ice City also became Garcia's "debut" in coaching the team. In the end, with the goals of Gui Hong, Zheng Haoqian and Yu Miran, Nantong Zhiyun won 3-0 away, and Garcia also ushered in the opening of Nantong Zhiyun.
The team that also ushered in a change of coach in this round was Yunnan Yukun in the middle division, although it failed to upset, but under the command of new coach Shi Jun, Yunnan Yukun played quite well, once leading Shenhua 1-0, almost forcing Shenhua into a corner. However, Shenhua, as a veteran strong team in the FA Cup, still showed a strong psychological endurance at key moments, catching up under adversity, and with Fernando's header and the veteran Hanchao's kill, he got through the danger.
In other matches, Shandong Taishan swept Dongguan United 6-1, showing the powerful firepower of the defending champions, and Cressan scored three goals alone to complete the "hat-trick". Tianjin Jinmen Tigers defeated Wuxi Wuhook 2-0, and Xie Weijun scored twice. Shanghai Port defeated its old rivals Guangzhou 3-1 and successfully advanced. Qingdao Manatee drew 1-1 with Dandong Tengyue in 90 minutes and successfully advanced with a penalty shootout. Henan beat Hunan Xiangtao 1-0. Zhejiang beat Sichuan Jiuniu 4-1. Meizhou Hakka drew 1-1 with Suzhou Soochow and advanced with a penalty win.
The situation is determined in the fourth round of matchups
In this round, the situation of the fourth round of the 2023 Chinese FA Cup has also been determined. According to the schedule, the fourth round of eight matches will be held on July 25-26 Beijing time, and will still be a single-game elimination system. According to the "2023 Chinese Football Association Cup Regulations", if the opponents are from different related competitions, the team with the lower ranking of the matches will be given priority to play at their own home stadium; Playing against two sides from the same competition, the team that finished lower in the league last season will give preference to their home stadium.
Accordingly, in the first half of the region, Shanghai Port played away against Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Dalian people hosted Henan team, Qingdao West Coast hosted Beijing Guoan, and Meizhou Hakka hosted Shandong Taishan.
In the second half, Nantong Zhiyun played at home against Wuhan Three Towns, Changchun Yatai away to Qingdao Manatee, and Zhejiang team away to Shanghai Shenhua to stage the "Yangtze River Delta Derby". Chongqing Tonglianglong and Nantong Haimen Kediyuan two teams are in direct dialogue, Chongqing Tonglianglong has just been promoted to the second division this season, so it will be able to choose the home stadium in the "dark horse battle" against Nantong Haimen Kediyuan.
Outside the arena, the 2023 Chinese FA Cup "Seed Plan" public welfare activities continued to be carried out, this round has entered three competition areas in Suzhou, Chongqing and Harbin, donating football to primary schools in the competition area, and the participating team members also carried out rich football interactive activities with primary school students. In the future, the FA Cup will continue to sow the seeds of football to a wider area, so that football can take root and germinate among the whole people.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Xiao Zhao
Editor/Zhang Yingchuan