Shenhua edge Taishan to win fourth China FA Cup in club history

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Players of Shanghai Shenhua celebrate after defeating Shandong Taishan 1-0 in the China FA Cup final in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, November 25, 2023. /CFP

Shanghai Shenhua secured a 1-0 victory over Shandong Taishan in the China Football Association (FA) Cup final in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Saturday, claiming their fourth title in club history.

With this win, Shenhua have matched Beijing Guoan in securing the second-most China FA Cup trophies, trailing only Taishan (eight).

In 2019, the last time Shenhua won the China FA Cup, their manager was South Korea's Choi Kang-hee, who now leads Taishan this season. Meeting Taishan again, Shenhua emerged victorious with a 3-1 score after two legs of games.

Taishan felt the absence of their midfield engine Moises, suspended in Saturday's contest. Shenhua's manager, Wu Jingui, strategically deployed Aidi Fulangxisi (Eddy Francis) to neutralize Cryzan, nearly paralyzing the opponents' offense. Simultaneously, Shenhua consistently created remarkable scoring opportunities through counterstrikes, and Yu Hanchao scored the only goal of the game in the 64th minute.

Yu Hanchao of Shanghai Shenhua celebrates after scoring a goal in the China FA Cup final against Shandong Taishan in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, November 25, 2023. /CFP

As Shanghai Port won the Chinese Super League (CSL) championship this season, the two top honors of Chinese football were both retained by east China's Shanghai Municipality, which has been a traditional football powerhouse for decades in China.

Winning the China FA Cup enabled Shenhua to qualify for the AFC Champions League next season. The club lost to Zhejiang Professional 2-1 in the final (CSL) game and dropped to fifth place in the league. They needed the China FA Cup trophy to appear in the Champions League next year.