China's World Cup hopes hanging by a thread after home draw with Thailand

China's hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are hanging by a thread, as the national soccer team was held to a 1-1 draw against Thailand, despite playing at home in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The national team is now sitting in second place with eight points in the four-team group, while Thailand is third with five points.

"The fans created a great atmosphere, but unfortunately, we did not take advantage of this opportunity to win," said China's head coach Branko Ivankovic.

Baihelamu Abuduwaili, winner of last season's Golden Boy Award, scored from a volley in the 79th minute in his debut for the national team, alleviating the frustration of the fans.

"Baihelamu quickly adapted to the rhythm and performed excellently in his debut," Ivankovic said, before hailing other young players' performance. "Several players made their first appearance for the national team, and they performed well under pressure.

However, the 21-year-old seemed too happy with his goal, as he went wide for a celebration rather than choosing to save more time for the team to maintain the offensive momentum.

"It was a crucial game, and our players were competing under huge pressure," Ivankovic told reporters after the match. "But that's what they have to cope with. I have no objections to the players' performance on the field; they gave their all."

Naturalized forward Fei Nanduo missed a penalty in the 49th minute, which was a blow for the team.

"Perhaps missing the penalty affected the momentum as the situation on the field changed rapidly," Ivankovic said. "We have to be more patient to orchestrate our offenses. There is still room for improvement in this matter."

As Thailand will take on Asian minnows Singapore on June 11, China's chance of qualifying for the next round will rely on getting a draw against already qualified South Korea, in an away match.

"The game is not over yet. In the upcoming match against South Korea, we will give our all, using our last bit of strength to advance to the next stage," Ivankovic said.

For the Thailand team, a draw against China was also not a satisfying result.

"We created a lot of chances but could not score," said Thailand head coach Masatada Ishii after the match. "We played effortlessly but we didn't have the goal of winning the match. I take full responsibility for the result,"

The highly anticipated match attracted over 46,979 fans on Thursday night, including Chinese Football Association (CFA) President Song Kai, who was the sports chief of Liaoning before assuming the role.

The Chinese national team is playing without its star player Wu Lei, as the domestic top scorer was suspended. He is expected to return in the game against South Korea.