Chinese men's national soccer team head coach Li Tie takes part in a press conference on Sunday in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Li Tie was scheduled to step into the spotlight Sunday as he was officially unveiled as the newly appointed Chinese men's national team head coach, but Chinese striker Wu Lei's sensational goal against Barcelona for Espanyol on Saturday stole the show.

Wu's 88th-minute equalizer makes him the only Chinese player to score against Barcelona in any competition. The goal, which comes 19 years later after Yang Chen's against Bayern Munich in 2001, is only the second that a Chinese soccer player has scored against a ­major European team.

While undeniably remarkable, Chinese soccer needs far more than a goal against a big team.

Italian great Marcello Lippi's departure in November after a 2-1 loss to Syria has upset many, as the country has introduced naturalized foreign players to invigorate the national team, but the team continue to struggle against non-minnows.

Li, who was part of the ­China squad in its sole World Cup ­appearance in 2002, said his hope for the Chinese ­national team is to repeat the feat. 

Formerly an "apprentice" during Lippi's tenures in China and later becoming permanent club manager for Chinese ­Super League clubs, Li's contract with the national team will run until June 9 this year, but will automatically be extended if the team make it to the third round of Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA world Cup.

His first assignment will take the team through four qualifiers before his contract expires on June 9: three home games against Maldives, Philippines and Syria and an away game against Guam.

How to motivate his players to play under pressure and cope with a high pace are among the tasks that Li has to work out during his half-year tenure.

While Li has achieved his dream of becoming the head coach of the Chinese national team, Chinese fans' dream of qualifying for a World Cup still looks distant. 

With Takumi Minamino joining Liverpool and Son Heung-min riding high at Tottenham Hotspur, many Chinese fans are also envious of China's Asian neighbors hosting international stars.

In a promotional video, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) put forward the message that it hoped Li could "Tie" the team together. But the CFA might be unaware that a tie also indicates a draw in soccer, and what China need are wins.

Wu, who was only a ball boy to Messi-led Argentina during the 2008 Olympics, now has been singled out as the hope for Chinese national team. But only when there are more Chinese players like Wu can the ­national team play quality game that will see them qualify for a World Cup.