Shandong Taishan became the first club to win the Chinese FA Cup three times in a row when Hao Wei’s side came from a goal down to defeat Zhejiang FC 2-1 in the final in Suzhou on Sunday.
Gu Bin had given Zhejiang the lead nine minutes before half time, but Chen Pu leveled eight minutes after the restart and Zhang Jiaqi’s late own goal kept the trophy in Shandong’s hands. The win means Shandong automatically qualify for the group phase of the Asian Champions League when the next edition kicks off in September while Zhejiang, who finished third in the Chinese Super League, will feature in the playoff rounds.
A mistake by Shandong goalkeeper Wang Dalei gifted Zhejiang the lead when the China international allowed Gu’s shot to slip through his grasp and trickle over the line. But Chen equalized in the 53rd minute when he met Moises’ ball from the right, the forward scored with a deflected strike.
Moises was involved again in the move for the winner, securing possession deep inside Zhejiang territory and sending in a low center that Zhang put into his own net under pressure from Wu Xinghan. The goal was initially ruled out for offside but was reinstated after officials consulted VAR, earning Shandong a third consecutive Chinese FA Cup and a record-extending eighth in total.
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