From Australian Broadcasting Corporation:
Despite two and a half months spent training at the high altitude qualifying venue in Kunming, China, the Chinese men’s football team was unable to secure a victory against Australia. With four qualifying matches behind them, China now begins gearing up for a match against Qatar on June 2nd, on the road to competing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer saved an 89th-minute penalty to help an injury-depleted Australian side scrape a 0-0 draw against China in their Asian World Cup qualifier in Kunming.
The veteran Middlesbrough stopper went from villain to hero in the space of a minute, saving Shao Jiayi’s spot kick after he had brought down Chinese striker Qu Bo in the penalty area.
Schwarzer’s heroics were the counterpoint to a disappointing display from China, whose strikers missed a number of goal-scoring opportunities in a largely defensive and scrappy encounter.
See more photos from Xinhua below:
