China set their worst record at AFC U-23 Championship

Players of China leave the field after their 1-0 loss to Iran at the AFC U-23 Championship at Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla, Thailand, January 15, 2020.

China lost 1-0 to Iran in their last game in Group C at the AFC U-23 Championship in Thailand on Wednesday, finishing the event with three straight losses and ranking the last of the group.

For most of the time, China were in the unfavorable situation, especially in the first half, since Chinese players could hardly reach Iran's half of the field, there were even birds sitting on the halfway line, according to Tencent Sports.

Iran were in a dominant position, reflected in their 61.2 percent of ball possession, 25-10 lead in shots and 7-1 in on-the-target-attempts. Having had multiple narrow escapes thanks to the efforts of goalkeeper Chen Wei, China lost the game on a penalty kick at the 85th minute.

Players of China argue with referee over the penalty kick in the game against Iran at the AFC U-23 Championship at Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla, Thailand, January 15, 2020.

In fact, after China lost to Uzbekistan 2-0 on January 12, the team already lost hope of qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics via the tournament. Wednesday's game was no more than a battle for honor, but in the end, China failed to keep their honor.

Having lost all three games in a row without a single goal, China were knocked out with the worst record since they attended the Championship for the first time in 2013. Moreover, besides for the third edition of the event in 2018 in east China's Jiangsu Province, the team has suffered nine consecutive losses when playing away.

Though Iran defeated China, they only rank No. 3 in Group C and had to watch South Korea and Uzbekistan make the quarterfinals together. This is also the fourth time China and Iran have been eliminated from an Olympic football qualification tournament together since 1980, 2004 and 2016.

Hao Wei, manager of China, reacts in the game against Iran at the AFC U-23 Championship at Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla, Thailand, January 15, 2020.

China's manager Hao Wei tried to defend his players in the post-game interview. "Though we lost all three games, my team still love football. We won't give up. We have our dream and we believe it will come true," said Hao.

"I hope that FIFA and AFC can offer Chinese football more support. I want to thank them for what they have already done. Lastly, I want to say thank you to our fans."

"It's the manager's responsibility that we lost all three games. My players were playing in the right way both offensively and defensively."