Photo: Cui Meng/Global Times

The Chinese national football team now needs to secure consecutive wins to keep their World Cup hopes alive, after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Australia on Tuesday.

The defeat means China are stuck at the bottom of the six-team group with six points after eight games. 

"Although the result is not what we wanted to see, it is a part of football," Chinese national team head coach Branko Ivankovic told the post-match news conference through an interpreter on Tuesday. "The match was full of twists and turns. We played better in the second half."

The Chinese national team was two goals down in the first half after midfielder Jackson Irving and forward Nishan Velupillay scored goals for the Socceroos, who are seeking their fifth consecutive World Cup appearance.

After the halftime break, chances emerged for China in the beginning of the second half as naturalized player Serginho, now known in Chinese as Sai Erjiniao, made his debut for the Chinese team. 

Sai made a notable move in the 53th minute when he took a powerful long shot that was unfortunately blocked by Australian keeper Mathew Ryan.

Local favorite Wang Yudong, a 18-year-old who made his name through his quality performance in the Under-20 Asian Cup earlier this year, also made progress on the left-side flank in his debut for the senior national team after being substituted to play.

"It's a pity that we didn't score a goal, but what makes us feel positive is that Sai and Wang gave us satisfying performances," the 71-year-old Croatian said. "I hope they can maintain their good form."

The Chinese team started their preparation for the recent two games against Saudi Arabia and Australia in early March.  

An away match against Indonesia on June 5 and a home match against Bahrain on June 10 remain the only chances for China to bag points in the qualifying series. 

The two teams are the only teams in the group that China have won against, with the other six matches ending in losses.

Winning both of the remaining matches is vital if China wants to stay in contention since the third and fourth placed teams in the group will go on for a further round of Asian qualifiers.

But there is still a serious goal difference gap that needs to be addressed as China is having a 13-goal deficit.

A record of 70,588 fans attended the match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, the highest attendance for a football match held in China. 

Previously, the highest attendance for a single domestic game was the 65,769 people who watched the match between Jiangsu Sainty and Guangzhou Evergrande at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, on October 20, 2012.

Though suffering from consecutive defeats, Ivankovic remained confident that his team could end the series with a top-four finish in the group in the upcoming Asian qualifier matches in June.

"I am definitely confident," Ivankovic said when asked about the team's final placement. "It is still in the early stages of the league and the players were not in their best form. It is crucial that our players adjust their form in the domestic league, as it will determine whether we can secure a top-four finish." 

Facing growing skepticism over his choices of players, Ivankovic said he is making the team "younger."

"Over the past year, we have incorporated 15 new players into the national team. This is a different national team," Ivankovic said. "I'm still satisfied with the team today though the result was not very positive." 

The Chinese fans in the stadium also gave the Chinese national team a rather overwhelming applause after the defeat, with some die-hard fans chanting "Continue to fight!"

Australian head coach Tony Popovic also credited 18-year-old Wang, saying the young man "played with a lot of confidence" on the left flank.

"We did not intend to play defensively in the second half but we faced a lot of pressure," Popovic said of his team's performance. "With the atmosphere and the crowd, you could see the Chinese players were lifting."

Australia, currently the fourth-highest ranking team under the Asian Football Confederation in the FIFA world rankings, is now sitting at second placed in the group with 13 points. 

As only the top two teams in the group will qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 automatically, Australia's position means the Chinese national team is no longer able to compete for a direct qualification for the World Cup.