On the afternoon of March 1st, Beijing time, the 2026 Chinese Football Association Super Cup was held at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center. Last season’s league champion Shanghai Haigang faced the Football Association Cup champion Beijing Guoan.
After 90 minutes of fierce fighting, Beijing Guoan won 2-0 with Dhawan's long-range goal and Cao Yongjing's goal, winning the Super Cup championship this season.
Dhawan's long shot scored for Guoan.
Cao Yongjing hit a low shot.
This game is the second time the two teams have met in the Super Cup since the beginning of the 2019 season, when Harbor, as the league champion, defeated the FA Cup champion Guoan 2-0. In that game, Pereira used economical defensive counterattacks to make Guoan's 62% ball possession rate useless. Yan Junling was elected as the most valuable player with as many as 8 saves in the game.
In this rematch, at the pre-match press conference, Yan Junling revealed that he still remembered the showdown seven years ago, "As players, we face this game with confidence, and we also hope to contribute a wonderful game to all fans and friends who follow Chinese football."
Judging from the lineup for this game, Haigang has fielded the strongest lineup available. In the 4-3-3 system, the goalkeeper is Yan Junling, the four defenders are Yang Xi, Wei Zhen, Wumitjiang, and Li Shuai; the three midfielders are Claude, Vital, and Lu Yongtao, and the three forwards are An Yongjia, Gabu, and Anpeim.
The Englishman Montgomery used a standard 4-4-2 parallel midfielder, with goalkeeper Houssen and four defenders Ru Zinan, Ramos, Hemiti, and Li Lei; the midfielder was composed of Davan and Serginho as a double defensive midfielder, with Nkololo and Yang Liyu on the wings, and the double forwards were Zhang Yuning and Fabio.
Guoan almost scored in the first 24 seconds. Zhang Yuning received a header from Yang Liyu's cross in the middle of the penalty area and bounced the ball. Yan Junling stood up and lifted the ball over the crossbar. In the 11th minute, Fabio's header from the middle of the penalty area bounced out of the right post. Guoan missed two consecutive scoring opportunities.
This Super Cup was the performance stage for new winger Anpeim. In the first 20 minutes, his several breakthroughs posed a great threat to Guoan's defense and also caused Hemiti's yellow card.
It is worth mentioning that Shenhua coach Slutsky came to the scene to watch the game. This season, the Russians changed the team system from a diamond 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3. Anpeim's performance may also serve as a demonstration for excellent wingers.
In the 29th minute of the first half, Haigang's cross from the right caused chaos in the Guoan penalty area. The ball bounced several times and hit the China goal post.
Subsequently, Zhang Yuning forced Yang Xi to receive a yellow card and create a free kick. After the ball was passed several times, the front door of the harbor penalty area opened wide, and Dawan took out a long-range shot to score. In the 42nd minute, Crowder grabbed a second penalty kick from a set kick. Unfortunately, his left-footed shot lacked power and was saved by Houssen. After halftime, Guoan led 1-0.
In the 55th minute, Liu Zhurun, who came on as a half-time substitute, cut inside and hit a high-quality low shot, but it slipped out and failed to hit the door frame. Behind the situation, Haigang continued to put pressure on Guoan, and the head coaches of both sides also mobilized their troops. Many players, including Wu Lei and Leonardo, came on the bench.
In the remaining time, Guoan also used counterattacks to create offensive threats. In the 84th minute, Cao Yongjing, who came on as a substitute, swung out of the penalty area and hit a low shot into the far corner. Beijing Guoan sealed the victory and won the championship with a score of 2-0, winning the Super Cup trophy this season.
The Paper reporter Song Chengliang from Nanjing
