HOPES FADING

Again, it's time to do the math — and to give up any fantasy of a quick fix once and for all.

Similarly, yet inevitably, Team China again sees its qualifying hopes for the FIFA World Cup hanging by a thread, after a 2-0 home defeat to Australia on Tuesday pushed the underachieving squad to the brink of elimination from the Asian qualifying tournament.

Failing to pick up a single point from its past three matches against Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia, Group C's top three teams, has kept China agonizingly at the bottom of the six-nation group, with only six points from eight matches in the current third-phase qualifying tournament.

Only the top two in each group secure automatic qualification to the 2026 finals, and the third- and fourth-ranked sides advance to a fourth phase to vie for two remaining tickets to the expanded 48-entry marquee FIFA tournament, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

With two fixtures remaining, against Indonesia on June 5 and Bahrain five days later, Team China, guided by Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic, will have to at least draw with the southeastern Asian side on the road and beat the Gulf island nation by a large enough score at home to stay theoretically alive in the race to the 2026 finals.

A loss to Indonesia, which clinched a critical 1-0 home victory over Bahrain on Tuesday to stay three points ahead of the bottom two, will end China's hopes for a topfour finish, regardless of its final game's result against Bahrain.

Ivankovic, however, reiterated his faith in the squad that he took charge of just over a year ago.

"We're not done yet, and our goal before the tournament, which was to finish in the top-four, is still within our reach," Ivankovic said through an interpreter after Team China, ranked 90th globally, endured its seventh loss in 12 matches under his stewardship on Tuesday.

"I am still confident for the two remaining matches in June, and I believe, with the domestic league going on, our players will reach better form by then," said the 71-year-old, who led Chinese Super League club Shandong to the domestic title in 2010.

Despite enjoying an overwhelming home support from 70,588 fans — a national record — at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, a loss to the 26th-ranked Socceroos was not unexpected for Team China.

It was the lack of depth, chemistry and tactical maturity of the squad, although having trained together for a month, that left even some of the most diehard fans betting against its chances against the in-form Indonesia, a team bolstered by several Dutch-born naturalized players plying their trade in Europe.

The team's inconsistent performances should be attributed to Ivankovic's slow reaction to momentum shifts during matches, and sometimes stubborn choice of formation, according to pundits.

"The general's incompetence has killed the entire army," former Chinese international Dong Fangzhuo, the first and only Chinese to be signed by Manchester United, commented on Ivankovic's tactics on Weibo.

"Sticking to the one-defending-midfielder formation against the full-out attacking Australia? We got played by the Aussies for sure," said Dong, who was signed by United in 2004, but only made his Premier League debut for the Red Devils in May 2007 due to delays with his work permit.

Dong's dream adventure in Europe was cut short by a serious knee injury that resulted in him being waived by United in 2008, but the 40-year-old set the bar for Chinese strikers that few have managed to match since.

And a goalscorer of Dong's caliber was sorely missed by Ivankovic on Tuesday, especially in the frenetic second half.

Spurred on by its substitutes, Brazilian-born playmaker Serginho, a naturalized new recruit, and teen star Wang Yudong, an intriguing prospect from China's under-20 squad, the host put up a gusty fight late in the match, throwing quite a few punches back at the Socceroos, but failing to land any of them.

The two early goals scored by Australia's Jackson Irvine in the 16th minute and Nishan Velupillay in the 29th, both owing to defensive errors by Chinese players, proved too steep a hill for Ivankovic's men to overcome, as the Socceroos took a big step toward securing direct qualification, with the win putting them three points clear of the third-placed Saudis, who tied 0-0 with the already qualified Japan in an earlier match on Tuesday.

Ivankovic's trust in youth, highlighted by a handful of players younger than 25 who have made senior international debuts under him, has helped make amends for his debatable coaching style.

"We've called up at least 15 new young players to the national team since last March when I had just taken over, and we've run some new plays," Ivankovic said.

"We are a young team, playing against the best in Asia at the moment. The results might not be as good as expected, but we are satisfied with the process and the growth of our players."

Wang, who drew some of the loudest cheers from the crowd in the second half with his agile dribbling and 10 successful passes on the left flank, remains humble after his 24-minute, high-profile senior international debut.

"I really appreciate the opportunity, and I've picked up a lot of confidence," said the 18-year-old, who just last month led China's youth squad to the quarterfinals of the U20 Asian Cup.

Whether it manages to make it to the World Cup for a second time since its sole appearance in 2002 or not, Team China should never stop investing in youth, as suggested by Australian head coach Tony Popovic.

"He came on the left side, played with a lot of confidence. I think they just need to keep doing that and giving the younger generation more exposure at this level," Popovic said of Wang's performance.