FA Cup final, Shenhua is coming!

Last night at the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium, the visiting Shenhua eliminated Qingdao Manatee 1-0 and entered the FA Cup final. It is worth mentioning that this is also the 1,000th game in the history of the Shenhua team. Wu Jingui commented after the game that the Shenhua players showed their courage and determination to advance to the finals on the field.

Qingdao Manatee, who is sitting at home, offered a winning bonus of 2 million yuan for the FA Cup, hoping to break into the final or even compete for the championship again after winning the FA Cup for the first time in 2002. And despite losing to Zhejiang in the final round of the league and losing the top three positions in the league, the whole Shenhua team quickly came out of the shadow of defeat. Everyone knows that the FA Cup is the only chance to qualify for the AFC Champions League, and the team also needs the cup to boost morale. For this reason, Amadou, who had a leg injury, came to Qingdao with the team and actively asked for battle. Wu Jingui revealed: "Amadou's legs still feel uncomfortable, but his desire to play is very strong. "In the previous league against Qingdao, Malele broke through the opponent's door, and for this FA Cup semi-final, Shenhua center forward is determined to win, "No other thoughts, win the game." ”

As a result, it was the connection of the above two players that knocked on the door of victory for Shenhua. This goal fully demonstrated Shenhua's seasoned ability to read the game. In the 3rd minute of the game, Shenhua won the ball at the back and found that the left wingback Zhang Wei of the Qingdao team did not move forward with the defense line as a whole, and Amadou found the already activated Malele with a long pass, who quickly burst into the penalty area with the ball, and shot low in the face of the opponent's goalkeeper, and the ball rolled through the crotch and into the gate.

Because the game was a decisive match, this conceded goal put Qingdao Manatee under great pressure. On the sidelines, Wu Jingui quickly called Eddie to his side and arranged defensive tactics. After that, Manatee attacked with all its strength and threatened the Shenhua gate several times, but relying on the tenacious defense, Shenhua tried to keep the goal from losing. In the second half, Wu Jingui sent on Basogo, who used his speed and technical advantages in the counterattack to force the home team's defender Liu Junshuai to pull someone behind and be sent off with a red card. In the end, Shenhua, who fought with one more person, kept the score 1-0 until the end and entered the FA Cup final as he wished.

After the game, Wu Jingui commented that the whole team did a good job at both offensive and defensive ends, "As we prepared before the game, the players worked very hard, worked the court, and also had the courage and determination to break into the finals." Every away game is a tough game, but we were able to let go of our baggage, pack light and create a lot of chances in both halves. ”

This is the seventh time in Shenhua's history that they have reached the FA Cup final, including three times. The most recent time was in 2019, when Shenhua defeated Shandong Luneng in the final. Interestingly, in this year's FA Cup final, Shenhua will encounter the Shandong team again. The latter has already qualified for next season's AFC Champions League play-offs by finishing second in the league, while the league winners and FA Cup winners will qualify directly for the AFC Champions League Elite League. The final will be played on November 25 at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Center.

Looking forward to the final, especially the contest with the South Korean coach of the Shandong team, Choi Kang-hee, Wu Jingui said that it will be a test, "Choi Kang-hee is a very good coach, he has a very successful coaching experience in South Korea and China, such a coach is very rare for us. It's a coincidence that we were able to lead our respective teams to the finals and coach each other's teams. I believe that in the final, both teams will play at a technical and tactical level. (Xinmin Evening News reporter Jin Lei)