Xinhua News Agency, Suzhou, January 16th Football Association Cup Summary: Taishan’s three consecutive championships create a dark horse in history, and young players become bright spots
Xinhua News Agency reporters Xu Shihao, Zhao Jiantong, Wang Hengzhi
On the 15th, at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Center, more than 20,000 fans witnessed the birth of the first team in the history of the Chinese Football Association Cup to win three consecutive championships.
In the unfavorable situation of conceding a goal first, Shandong Taishan reversed the lore 2:1 in the second half and beat Zhejiang, achieving a three-peat feat. This is also the fifth consecutive time that Shandong has entered the FA Cup final and the 13th time in team history.
Looking back on the road to promotion, Shandong has been going smoothly. However, when facing Shanghai Shenhua in the semi-finals, the top scorer Cresan was sent off due to violent actions; at the pre-match press conference, head coach Hao Wei also confirmed that Fellaini was unable to play due to injury, and defender Judson “can only Play for 30 minutes.” The absence of three powerful foreign players added suspense to the Shandong team’s prospects for the final. But in the end, relying on the wonderful performance of local players and two key assists from Moises, the Shandong team with a broken lineup once again showed its “insider”.
Although the Zhejiang team, which has just passed its “25th birthday”, missed the first top championship in team history, its outstanding performance throughout the season was enough to win the applause of fans across the country. In the semi-finals, they defeated Shanghai Haigang, the favorite to win the championship. In the previous rounds, their performances against the champions of Jinan Xingzhou, Guangzhou City, and Dalian were also exciting enough.
In addition to paying attention to the strong teams, the “dark horse” has become the highlight of this tournament. As the oldest competition in Chinese football, it provides a platform for teams of different levels to compete on the same field, breaks down the barriers between professional and amateur, and gradually evolves the ideal “football for all” into reality. These are the meanings of the FA Cup where.
Jinan Xingzhou from the Chinese League Two won the “Dark Horse Award” of this tournament. They defeated the Chinese Super League powerhouse Changchun Yatai 1-0 in the second round, and finally successfully entered the quarterfinals. The championship team Jingchuan Wenhui from Jingchuan County, Pingliang, Gansu, eliminated Beijing Guoan in the second round, which was the biggest upset of the season.
Looking back at the territory of this FA Cup, from north to south, from east to west, there are teams participating. Although the schedule and competition system are affected by the epidemic to a certain extent, the enthusiasm of teams at all levels and the concept of grassroots football and participation of all people upheld by the competition have never changed.
The performance of young players also added a touch of color to this FA Cup. Many teams in this tournament have been hit by injuries to varying degrees, which also gives young players a chance to make their mark. In the quarter-finals of the two-round competition system, multiple teams chose U23 players as the main players. In the two-round match between Shanghai Shenhua and the Cangzhou Lions, a total of 28 U23 players appeared in the starting lineup. The performances of Fernando, Zhou Junchen and other players were impressive. In the match against Shandong Taishan, the striker Min Zixi who came off the bench for the three towns of Wuhan was only 17 years old. Lin Kejun and Ren Xiqing are also potential new stars produced by Wuhan Youth Training.
In the semi-finals, Shanghai Shenhua, which started with seven U23 players, did not lose against the strong enemy Shandong Taishan, and did not regret conceding the ball until the last moment. The self-confidence of the young players is gratifying, and even people in the Shenhua team feel that if the team has another Zhu Chenjie and Zhu Jianrong, it may not be who will stand in the finals.
During the current competition, the FA Cup public welfare activity “Seed Project” also carried out six activities, and successively entered Rongcheng Hongna Youth Football Club, Zhangjiagang Phoenix Central Primary School, Suzhou Aoying Youth Training Club and other schools and youth training institutions. Hundreds of soccer balls are donated to teenagers in the home division during each game. This year is the 66th year of the Chinese Football Association Cup. The games on the field have become more exciting, and the public welfare activities off the field have also taken root in the fertile soil of football in various places, encouraging more young people to participate in football.
[
责编：刘希尧 ]
