Fabio Abreu's hat trick takes Beijing Guoan to Chinese FA Cup title

Beijing Guoan claimed the Chinese Football Association Cup title with a 3-0 victory over Henan on Saturday after Fabio Abreu scored a hat trick to hand the capital club their first Cup crown in seven years and the fifth in club history.

Roared on by the crowd at Suzhou Olympic Sports Center, Abreu led his teammates on a celebratory lap after a performance that ended Henan's hopes in their first Cup final appearance in 31 years.

Both teams fielded full-strength lineups in a high-intensity decider. Guoan broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Abreu reacted quickest to a rebound after Henan goalkeeper Wang Guoming parried an initial effort.

The Angolan striker continued to unsettle the Henan defense. Just before halftime, his shot took a deflection off Lucas Maia, leading to a penalty that Abreu converted confidently to give Guoan a 2-0 lead at the break.

The second half grew increasingly physical, with several cautions issued as tempers flared. Moments before full time, Zhang Yuning was fouled in the area to set up another penalty. Abreu's first attempt was saved by Wang, but the kick was retaken after the keeper was judged to have moved early. The striker made no mistake on the second try to complete his hat trick.

"It's a pity," Henan midfielder Wang Shangyuan said. "We were mentally prepared for a tough result, but it's still disappointing to come this far and lose the final like this. We're deeply grateful to our fans. Their support really touched us, and we hope to deliver even better performances in the future."

The match drew more than 40,000 fans, with over 20,000 traveling Henan supporters turning out in greater numbers than Guoan fans.

Guoan's win represented the club's first Chinese FA Cup win since 2018, and came despite an inconsistent Chinese Super League campaign in which they finished fourth.

"We came here determined to win," said Abreu, the league's top scorer this season. "I had never scored against Henan before, but today I scored three. We want to take this trophy back to Beijing and celebrate with our fans."