HANGZHOU, China - China suffered a 2-0 home loss to Australia in a FIFA World Cup qualifier here on Tuesday, leaving its chance of securing a spot in the 2026 tournament in serious jeopardy with only two games remaining.
At the bottom of Group C with six points, China now has to go all out for wins over Indonesia and Bahrain in June to keep the World Cup dream alive.
"The next two matches are the key," said China's head coach Branko Ivankovic. "We must fight for victories."
"It's not a result we wanna see. Australia performed better in the first half and scored two goals, while we were the better side in the second half.
"It's a shame we didn't convert any of our opportunities," he added.
Jackson Irvine gave the Socceroos an early lead 16 minutes into the match. While his initial strike from the edge of the box was blocked, Chinese defending midfielder Huang Zhengyu's slip allowed him to pounce on the loose ball and fire a shot into the far corner.
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The visitor doubled its lead in the 29th minute when Nishan Velupillay capitalized on goalkeeper Wang Dalei's error, driving a close shot through Wang's hands into the net.
"To be honest, my view was blocked at the moment and I didn't see the goal clearly," said Wang after the match.
"But that's no excuse. A mistake is a mistake," he added.
Prior to the start of the second half, newly-naturalized player Sai Erjiniao came off the bench to make his debut for China. His introduction boosted the host's attacking efforts but failed to produce a goal despite ovation from a record 70,588 attendance.
"China gained momentum after the break, and it took us some time to regain control and secure the win," Australia's head coach Tony Popovic said, "the first half was excellent for us and I'm pleased with the result."
Australia solidified its grip on second place in Group C with 13 points after the win and is looking to follow in the footsteps of already-qualified Japan.
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The top two teams in each six-team group will directly qualify for the World Cup, while the third- and fourth-placed teams move into the next phase of qualifying.
