- Cameroonian forward Christian Bassogog has lifted his first China FA Cup with his side Shanghai Shenhua on Saturday November 25
- The six time champions saw off Shandong Taishan one nil to achieve this feat
- Christian Bassogog played all 90+ minutes of the game, with his celebrate carrying some regrets as his dad could not witness such a remarkable ceremony
Cameroon international Christian Bassogog has helped Shanghai Shenhua secure a sixth China Football Association Cup title in Suzhou, east of China’s Jiangsu Province, on Saturday.
Present in all minutes of the encounter, Shenhua defeated Shandong Taishan by one goal to nothing courtesy of Yu Hanchao in the 64th minute from a Cephas Malele assist.
Shandong who have been a regular at the CFA cup final for six consecutive years were not only out of luck in their finishing but also deprived of key players Moises and Jadson, who were suspended.
An absence perfectly exploited by Bassogog and teammates in Saturday’s fixture. From a goalless first half, Malele successfully won a duel close to their opponents’ goal sending a crucial back pass to Hanchao, the right-footed winger cut into the penalty area from behind to find the net.
Shandong was handed a numerical advantage in the last minutes of regular time when Shenhua’s fullback Yan Xinli got sent off for two quick yellow cards.
He was booked for time wasting and then for re-entering the pitch without permission after an injury. Shandong still could not take advantage of the extra man and failed to equalize in the six minutes of added time.
The last time Shanghai mounted the China Cup finals podium was in 2019, when they won their fifth title.
Shenhua has now secured a spot in the AFC Champions League next season by virtue of winning the China FA Cup. The club had a disappointing finish in the CSL, losing 2-1 to Zhejiang Professional in the final match, ending up fifth in the league. The China FA Cup trophy was their only chance to play in the Champions League next year.
This is Bassogog’s first major win with this Chinese club since joining them in 2021.
A win, he would not get to celebrate with his biggest inspiration, his father who passed on to glory weeks prior.
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