Beijing Guoan secured a dramatic victory over Qingdao West Coast in a tense penalty shootout on Tuesday, advancing to the semifinals of the Chinese Football Association (FA) Cup.
The clash at Qingdao’s home ground in east China’s Shandong Province was a rollercoaster of emotions, with both teams displaying relentless determination. Guoan, aiming to overcome their quarterfinal exits in the past two seasons, faced a spirited West Coast side making their deepest run in club history.
The match began with an early setback for Beijing when their starting striker left the field due to injury in the 21st minute, replaced by Fabio Abreu. Undeterred, Guoan pressed on, with Zhang Xizhe nearly breaking the deadlock in the 29th minute, only to be denied by the post.
The stalemate was broken seven minutes into the second half. Capitalizing on a defensive error, Wang Ziming intercepted a misplaced pass by Qingdao’s He Longhai, coolly rounding goalkeeper Li Hao to put Beijing ahead 1-0. The lead, however, was short-lived. Ten minutes later, Qingdao’s Aziz Yabuku pounced on a rebound after Guoan’s goalkeeper Hou Sen failed to secure a low shot from Duan Liuyu, leveling the score at 1-1.
With neither side able to find a winner in regular time, the match headed into extra time. In the 115th minute, Beijing appeared to have sealed the win when Michael Ngadeu’s long pass found Cao Yongjing, who weaved past two defenders to blast home a powerful shot, making it 2-1. But Qingdao refused to surrender. Just two minutes later, a perfectly delivered free-kick from Ding Haifeng found Davidson, whose header sent the game into a penalty shootout.
In the nail-biting shootout, Qingdao faltered. Yabuku’s opening penalty was saved by Hou Sen, and Matheus Indio’s attempt soared over the bar. Beijing, demonstrating nerves of steel, converted all four of their penalties, clinching the victory and a place in the semifinals against Yunnan Yukun.
Yunnan Yukun Dominates Guangdong GZ-Power to Advance
In another quarterfinal match, Yunnan Yukun cruised past Guangdong GZ-Power with a convincing 3-0 win in Yuxi, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. Oscar Maritu was the star of the night, contributing two goals and an assist.
Yukun took an early lead in the 5th minute when Maritu headed the ball to Luo Jing, who spun around a defender to score. Maritu doubled the advantage in the 39th minute after Tang Miao’s interception set him up for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Just after halftime, Maritu sealed the victory with a clever chip over the keeper, ensuring Yunnan’s spot in the semifinals where they will meet Beijing Guoan on August 19.
