China wanted to 'win the World Cup by 2050' – now they've lost at home to Syria
China's national football team were booed off by their own fans after their latest damaging defeat at the hands of Syria – despite having plans to win the World Cup
China's dreams of winning the World Cup have hit quite a large setback - having been booed by their own fans after losing to Syria.
The men's national side, currently managed by Serbian coach Aleksandar Jankovic, slipped to a 1-0 loss to the 94th ranked nation just months before the Asia Cup.
Fans even felt the need to boo the Dragon's Team off the pitch at the Chengdu Phoenix Hill Stadium as they took part in a lap of appreciation for the support.
China, ranked 80th, went into the contest after drawing with Malaysia - seven years after their lofty World Cup dreams were made public.
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The plan was published by the Chinese Football Association and detailed their steps to becoming a 'world football superpower'.
The final bullet point was target of having a side capable of World Cup glory by 2050 - giving them seven more tournaments to turn things around.
They squad is led by captain Wu Xi, who plays for Shanghai Shenhua, with all of their current squad playing in China.
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Also included is Brazillian born former Botafogo forward Elkeson, now known as Ai Kesen, as well as English born Nico Yennaris, who goes by Li Ke.
Jankovic said of the defeat: "It was a frustrating result for us."
The performance came after only 12,367 showed up to watch them in the 60,000 capacity stadium, with Thaer Krouma netting the only goal in the second half.
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The loss wasn't for the lack of chance creation, with China having 17 shots and their opponents just three.
The men's side might well take inspiration from the women's team, who have reached the World Cup quarter-finals on four occasions.
If the men are to have a chance at World Cup glory they will first need to qualify - something they have only done once in 2002.