Shenhua thumps Luneng in CFA Cup to end season with a trophy
Players and staff of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua celebrate after beating Shandong Luning 3-0 in second leg of the CFA Cup final.
Shanghai Greenland Shenhua ended the season by rallying to clinch the CFA Cup after beating Shandong Luneng 3-0 in the second leg and triumphing 3-1 on aggregate at the Hongkou Stadium on Friday.
Shandong head coach Li Xiaopeng was brutal in his assessment of his side at the post-match press conference. “Today, Luneng gave the worst performance of the season, while Shenhua played their best match of the season.
"Our desire for the championship created a lot of pressure. As the head coach, I didn’t find a way to ease the pressure on the players… A team with a stronger mind wins a game like this. We lost in the mindset.”
The Cup success also secured an AFC Champions League spot for the winners. Shenhua finished 13th in the 16-team Chinese Super League and the Cup was its only road to the Asian tournament.
Shandong finished 5th in the CSL.
South Korean striker Kim Shin-wook scores the first goal for Shenhua 15 minutes into the second half.
Shenhua lost the first leg of their CFA Cup clash in Jinan, Shandong’s capital, 0-1, over a month ago. On their home ground tonight, the hosts started aggressively with both sides balancing out in the first half. South Korean striker Kim Shin-wook opened the flood gates for Shenhua 15 minutes into the second half. Italian striker Stephan El Shaarawy added another in the 81st and Qian Jiegei secured the victory with a third two minutes later.
Shenhua coach Choi Kang-hee dedicated the victory to the fans.
Italian striker Stephan El Shaarawy scores the second goal during a counter attack in the 81st minute.
“It is your enthusiastic cheering and support that helped us to win the Cup," the South Korean said. “The team showed lax form since avoiding relegation. We lost in the first leg, and the courage the players showed in the second leg was the key to our victory.
“I encountered a lot of difficulties in China, and fortunately, I can keep the smile at the end of the year. I’m an experienced coach back in South Korea, but the CSL was new to me,” the South Korean said.
Choi, who took over the reins of the club in July to replace the sacked Spanish manager Sanchez Flores, was tasked to get the team out from the relegation zone. Choi promptly brought in Kim who showed hot form in the first few matches. The Cup success, after the struggles in the CSL, was the perfect icing on the cake in front of the home crowd.
Midfielder Qian Jiegei secures the victory with a third goal in the 83rd minute.
“When I first arrived, I found that Shenhua players had a strong individual ability, but the atmosphere of the team was poor. They didn’t have a clear target,” he said.
“Shenhua is a powerhouse, and there is a lot of room for changes. This title is important to us. If we can strengthen the team by signing new blood next year, it shall not be a problem (playing in both CSL and the ACL).”
In a boost to the team before the match, Shenhua announced the contract extension of its star captain Giovanni Moreno. The Colombian was loudly cheered by the supporters when he walked onto the podium.
This was Shenhua’s second Cup success in three years. They had a difficult season in 2017 as well when local coach Wu Jinhui took over from Uruguayan manager Gus Poyet in the middle of the season. Wu eventually led the team to a cup win.
Shenhua will take on 2019 CSL champion Guangzhou Evergrande in the 2020 CFA Super Cup. City rival Shanghai SIPG finished third in the CSL and will be involved in the preliminary round of the 2020 ACL next month.
