Henan FC pulled off a historic upset on Wednesday, defeating hosts Chengdu Rongcheng 4-3 in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out to reach the Chinese FA Cup final for the first time in club history.
The 12th-placed side in the Chinese Super League had already stunned their opponents 3-2 back in June. In Chengdu, chances flowed for both teams: Frank Acheampong rattled the post in the 32nd minute, and Lucas Maia saw a header come back off the woodwork in the second half.
Late drama kept fans on edge. A stoppage-time drive by Felipe Silva was superbly saved by goalkeeper Wang Guoming, sending the game into extra time. A 95th-minute header by Timo Letschert was ruled out for a push, and neither side could find a winner through 120 minutes.
In the shoot-out, Henan held their nerve. Wang Guoming became the hero, producing the decisive save against Letschert after both sides had earlier converted spot-kicks and missed. Under Daniel Ramos, Henan FC set a new club milestone and will now prepare for a final clash against either Beijing Guoan or Yunnan Yukun.
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Henan FC beat Chengdu Rongcheng to reach Chinese FA Cup final
cgtn.com
