Five-time FA Cup champions, Beijing Guoan finally get to celebrate after half a year of frustration.

Special Contributor / Song Ci On December 6, during the 2025 Chinese FA Cup final, Beijing Guoan beat Henan 3-0 to claim the FA Cup championship for the fifth time. This triumph finally gave the Beijing Guoan team a chance to celebrate freely after half a year of setbacks. Their struggles in the CSL and AFC Champions League were somewhat compensated on this evening.

This FA Cup final was almost like a home game for Henan, with the majority of the crowd wearing red supporting Henan. Over 20,000 Henan fans attended, while Guoan had just over 7,000 supporters present. The nearly threefold difference in fan numbers clearly showed Henan’s stronger desire to win the title.

It’s not that Beijing fans lacked confidence in Guoan’s victory; rather, the team’s disappointing performances in the second half of the CSL season and in the secondary AFC Champions League disheartened many fans. As a result, a significant number did not rush to buy tickets when the FA Cup final tickets went on sale. Otherwise, even season ticket holders for Guoan would have numbered at least 20,000.

Nevertheless, the more than 7,000 Guoan fans at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Center were just as loud and spirited as the Henan supporters. “We didn’t lose in energy or atmosphere; thanks to every Guoan fan who came to the stadium,” said almost all Guoan players and coaches after the match. Fighting alongside the fans, especially when outnumbered but still hearing their cheers, embodies Guoan’s relentless spirit. If the fans are so dedicated, the team must give their all.

In this match, every Guoan player gave their utmost effort. Veteran Wang Gang suffered a rib fracture in the first half, and Hou Sen bled from a mouth injury in the second half, only receiving proper treatment after the game. Cao Yongjing played until completely exhausted before being substituted. Foreign players Ngadeu, Gonzalo, and Dawan all received yellow cards, showing Guoan’s fierce determination. Besides tactically controlling the opponent, Guoan’s victory was largely a result of sheer grit.

Though Guoan had a slight overall strength advantage over Henan, this was a decisive final on neutral ground, so Guoan prepared for all possible challenges, including contingency plans for if the game stalled, if they fell behind, if it went into extra time, or even a penalty shootout.

In such an important match, mentality often determines performance. A Guoan insider told reporters after the game that Henan seemed more nervous before kickoff, likely due to their strong desire to win the trophy. However, sometimes the more you want something, the more you need a calm mindset and readiness for any outcome, even the worst.

Before the match started, Guoan club chairman Zhou Jinhui visited the locker room to give a final pep talk. Rarely entering before games, Zhou kept his speech brief, urging everyone to let go of burdens, give their all, and fight to win this match.

Zhou Jinhui emphasized: “Henan used to be known as a team that unsettles others. Today, I want you to show them a kind of defiance they cannot handle — that defiance is Guoan. If you ask what name this defiance bears, it’s Beijing Guoan. For the honor of our Beijing Guoan and all the fans who support us, just one word today: fight. Give everything and win.”

In any major match, even the stronger side needs a bit of luck. In this FA Cup final, Guoan chose to wear white jerseys. Normally, they would wear their traditional green, which doesn’t clash with Henan’s red. But Guoan wore white because in the previous two FA Cup away matches, they wore white and won both times in penalty shootouts. The team believed the white kit would bring them good fortune in the FA Cup.

Veteran Zhang Xizhe admitted after winning the title: “Before the match, I didn’t really feel much, but after seeing the team’s form at kickoff, I thought things would be alright.”

As Zhang said, Guoan played very smoothly after the start. Although Henan pressed high and attacked aggressively, Guoan scored first on a counterattack. It’s worth noting that Fabio, the CSL’s top scorer, had never scored against Henan before, but in this FA Cup match, he netted a hat-trick.

Each of the three goals had its own story. For the first, Fabio lost balance and fell after shooting, but the ball came back to him during the scramble. Without hesitation, he struck fiercely, sending the ball through the crowd into the net. It seemed this goal was destined for Fabio, as if fate wanted him to score in this crucial match against Henan.

The second goal came from a penalty Fabio earned himself. Before taking it, Henan players protested that the ball wasn’t properly placed in the box, but Fabio remained composed and scored easily. The third goal was even more dramatic: a penalty saved by Wang Guoming initially, but after VAR showed Wang had stepped off the goal line, the penalty was retaken and Fabio completed his hat-trick, sealing the victory and removing any doubt about the champion.

When the final whistle blew, Fabio knelt down on the pitch, fulfilling his pre-match promise to help the team lift the FA Cup. For Guoan, who had won the FA Cup four times before, this trophy might seem like icing on the cake. But for the players enduring a tough triple-competition season, this title allowed them to forget all previous hardships that night.

Imagine if Guoan had failed to win the FA Cup final; their 2025 season would have been a complete failure. Originally aiming to win the league and advance from the AFC Champions League group stage, both dreams ended prematurely. Fortunately, the FA Cup championship healed the wounds of their difficult year.

At the moment Guoan lifted the trophy, all the frustration of the past six months was released. Many players like Zhang Yuning, Cao Yongjing, Lin Liangming, and Wu Shaocong won their first title with Guoan. After the victory, they were as excited as children. Zhang Yuning exclaimed, “This is my seventh year at Guoan, and finally my first championship. This season was tough, but the result is good. We can all enjoy this honor together.”

This was Zhang Xizhe’s third championship with Guoan. As captain, he lifted the trophy, and when asked about retirement, he loudly replied, “I’ll retire when I win the fourth one.”

During the lap of honor, players brought the trophy to the Guoan fans in the stands, letting them share in the joy of winning. When they gathered for photos, fans shouted “Wait for Wang Gang” as he approached from afar, and in that moment, all past unhappiness vanished.

Even more touching, after the match Wang Gang wore the championship jacket and draped a white T-shirt thanking former coach Setién in Spanish. Not only Wang Gang, but also Fabio and Ramiro expressed gratitude to Setién during the post-match press conference. Fabio emotionally said, “I want to send special regards to former coach Setién; this trophy belongs to him as well. I want to share this victory with him.” Ramiro added, “I also want to thank former coach Setién and the fitness coach. This year has been tough, and it’s not just them — it’s the entire club staff and behind-the-scenes team’s effort.”

Ramiro concluded, “This championship is very important for us, the team, the club, and the fans. From the moment I took over, the club’s goal was to win the FA Cup, and today we achieved it. Through our joint efforts, everyone played a key role. Both the club and I have fulfilled our promises. I feel very proud — that’s what matters most. Whether I stay in the future is not so important; what matters is the team and the club doing well. I hope this trophy is just the beginning, and that we will continue to improve.”