Shanghai Port Football Club made history on Saturday by clinching their first-ever Chinese Football Association (FA) Cup title with a 3-1 victory over Shandong Taishan in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. This monumental win crowns an exceptional season for Shanghai Port, who also secured the Chinese Super League (CSL) championship earlier this month.
The match kicked off with high intensity as both teams searched for an early breakthrough. Shandong’s Peng Xinli nearly opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he slipped past goalkeeper Yan Junling, but his shot struck the post. Shanghai Port capitalized in the 37th minute when Wang Shenchao delivered a precise cross from the right wing. Gustavo’s clever touch found Li Shuai, who, unmarked, fired the ball past Wang Dalei to make it 1-0.
Just before halftime, Shanghai extended their lead. Oscar’s free kick was deflected but landed at the feet of Feng Jin. His shot took a fortunate bounce off Leo Cittadini, wrong-footing the goalkeeper and doubling the advantage. Shandong Taishan fought back in the 53rd minute when a mishandled clearance fell to Zeca at the edge of the box. His powerful strike was unstoppable, narrowing the score to 2-1.
Despite Shandong’s resurgence, Shanghai Port continued to press, with Wang Dalei making several crucial saves. In stoppage time, Oscar intercepted a pass and fed Wang Zhen’ao, who charged into the box. Defender Zheng Zheng’s attempt to block resulted in an own goal, sealing the 3-1 victory for Shanghai Port.
With this triumph, Shanghai Port becomes the fourth club to achieve the domestic double of league and FA Cup titles in the same season, joining Shandong Taishan, Dalian Shide, and Guangzhou Evergrande. This historic achievement heralds a new era for the club and its supporters.
Reference(s):
Shanghai Port beat Shandong Taishan to win first ever Chinese FA Cup
cgtn.com
