Reporter Chen Yong reports Rongcheng is leading the CSL by a wide margin, leaving other teams to change their primary track halfway through the season. For clubs facing point reductions, the CFA Cup has gone from being insignificant to highly desirable, even a last resort. But unexpectedly, Rongcheng is also fully engaged in this competition, heightening the stakes.

From June 19 to 21, the fourth round (Round of 32) of the CFA Cup kicked off, with all CSL teams participating. Traditional powerhouses like Haigang, Shenhua, Guoan, and Taishan, unable to contend for the league title, naturally focused on the CFA Cup and advanced smoothly to the Round of 16. The only traditional strong team eliminated was Zhejiang.

As planned, a new draw will take place before the fifth round, placing the 16 teams in their respective brackets for head-to-head matches.

Strong teams go all out in the CFA Cup

On the afternoon of the 19th, Haigang took the field as the first traditional powerhouse to play. Their opponent, Saigengda, was a China League Two team, and Haigang fielded an all-Chinese squad. Despite Saigengda ranking only 10th in the Northern Division (third from the bottom), Haigang did not underestimate them, especially since their owner is Zhu Jun. Except for the national team players on the bench, most of the local starters were on the pitch.

In this match, Saigengda adopted a pragmatic approach with a five-man defense, maintaining a solid backline and launching quick counterattacks when opportunities arose. However, Haigang's superior quality prevailed, with Zhang Linpeng and Liu Zhurun each scoring a goal, making it relatively easy. Although Saigengda later besieged Haigang, hitting the post once and scoring near the end, it did not prevent Haigang from advancing.

In the evening, Shaanxi United faced Zhejiang. Zhejiang fielded their strongest lineup, including three foreign players, with Wang Yudong also starting. Shaanxi United took the lead in the 36th minute, and Zhejiang launched a fierce comeback but only equalized in the 87th minute. In the subsequent penalty shootout, Zhejiang lost and were eliminated.

Defending champions Guoan played away against Guangzhou Leopards. Guangzhou currently leads the China League One table with a primary goal of promotion. For the CFA Cup, they used a mixed lineup, starting only one foreign player and bringing another off the bench, combining regulars and substitutes. Local player Huang Shenghao, who impressed at the Toulon Tournament, started, drawing attention. Guoan, on the other hand, fielded their strongest squad, with Fabio, Konte, and Ramos all starting. Lin Liangming performed exceptionally, scoring twice and missing a penalty. Zhang Yuning stayed on the bench until the 82nd minute to get some match fitness. Like Haigang, Guoan won 2-1 to advance.

On the 20th, Taishan played away against Hengcui, a newly promoted China League One team that has performed well this season and had ambitions. Taishan, aside from national team players like Liu Yang and Xie Wenneng who did not start, fielded nearly all their key players, with foreign players Zeka, Kazaisvili, and Madruga playing. Cressan rested due to a recent injury. Taishan had a comfortable game: Zeka showcased his outstanding individual ability, assisting the first goal and then scoring a hat-trick, with Li Xiaoheng adding the final touch for a 5-0 victory.

Taishan is known as the "Cup King," having won the CFA Cup eight times in club history and reaching the final seven consecutive times from 2018 to 2024.

Shenhua's away match against Shijiazhuang was equally smooth. They took a 1-0 lead in the first half, and just three minutes into the second half, Shijiazhuang had a player sent off, resulting in a 2-0 win for Shenhua. In terms of lineup, Shenhua took the match seriously, fielding their full-strength squad, with national team players Zhu Chenjie and Gao Tianyi also starting. Currently, Shenhua's foreign player woes are easing, with Asuoe returning and Manafa back from suspension. At least for this CFA Cup match, Shenhua had three foreign players, and Asuoe scored upon his return.

Yunnan Yukun won 4-2 away against Suzhou Dongwu, thanks to a double from Oscar and goals from Fernando and Zhao Yuhao.

Rongcheng's goal may be the "Double Crown"

At the halfway point of the league, Rongcheng leads with 37 points from 12 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, holding a 13-point, 15-point, and 16-point advantage over Tongliang Long, Yingbo, and Yukun, respectively. However, these three teams have been inconsistent recently and pose no real threat to Rongcheng's title hopes. Furthermore, Rongcheng leads Taishan by 19 points, and Guoan, Shenhua, and Haigang by 22, 24, and 25 points, respectively. In other words, even if Rongcheng loses seven consecutive matches in the second half, those three powerhouses cannot catch up.

With such a significant lead, Rongcheng has the energy to focus on the CFA Cup as well. Last year, while competing on three fronts, they reached the semifinals, and fans now have even higher expectations.

In this round, Rongcheng's opponent, Shanghai Zetian, is a China Champions League team that eliminated China League Two team Changchun Xidu and China League One team Dingnan Ganlian to advance. Interestingly, Zetian's 53-year-old chairman, Cheng Qibin, was on the substitute bench. In the previous CFA Cup round, he came on as a substitute, becoming the second-oldest player in CFA Cup history to appear.

Despite this, Rongcheng did not underestimate their opponent. National team players like Wei Shihao, Baihelamu, and Han Pengfei all started, with only goalkeeper Liu Dianzuo replaced by Jian Tao, demonstrating their ambition in the CFA Cup.

In the end, Wei Shihao scored twice, and Han Pengfei and Wang Ziming each added a goal, giving Rongcheng a 4-0 victory and smooth advancement.

In the history of Chinese professional leagues, only four teams have achieved the "Double Crown" (league and cup double): existing teams Taishan (3 times) and Haigang (1 time), and now-defunct teams Shide (2 times) and Guangzhou (2 times). With a huge league lead, Rongcheng naturally wants to compete for the CFA Cup title and make history. There is a precedent in Chinese football: Taishan won the "Double Crown" in the same season they won their first league title.

Mid-to-lower table teams play it by ear

Among other teams, last year's CFA Cup runner-up Henan drew attention. Although they are currently near the bottom of the CSL, they face little relegation risk. In this round, their opponent was China League Two's Jiangxi Lushan. Facing a team two divisions below, Henan was cautious, fielding a starting lineup led by national team player Wang Shangyuan, with local regulars and rotational players like Zhong Yihao, He Chao, Huang Ruifeng, Abudurousuli, and Ye Lijiang all playing. Only the goalkeeper position used substitute Shi Chenglong. Henan won 2-0.

Tongliang Long and Xincheng also advanced. Tongliang Long won 2-0 away against Ningbo, with a focus on developing young players. Nineteen-year-old central defender Yue Ruijie, who had only one league appearance, started, as did 18-year-old defensive midfielder Liu Jiale, who had two league appearances. The goalkeeper was 19-year-old substitute Wu Zitong, who had not played this season. Youth development has always been Tongliang Long's hallmark, and this match was no exception.

Xincheng faced city rivals Shenzhen Youngsters, who are currently focused on promotion and showed little interest in the CFA Cup. Xincheng, despite average league results, are safe from relegation and wanted to fine-tune their lineup, winning 3-1 with ease.

An interesting phenomenon: in this CFA Cup round, besides the 16 CSL teams, there were also 8 China League One teams, 7 China League Two teams, and 1 China Champions League team. In the end, one China League One team and two China League Two teams advanced. In regular time, the 8 China League One teams had a record of 2 draws and 6 losses, while the 7 China League Two teams had 1 win, 4 draws, and 2 losses.

China League One teams performed far worse than China League Two teams. Apart from the difficulty of opponents, a key reason is that CSL teams have stronger foreign players and rely more on them. When facing China League Two teams, some CSL teams field all-Chinese lineups, leading to losses due to lack of cohesion and adaptation.