Following a heroic campaign in Australia, the Chinese national football team received praises despite being knocked out of the Asian game.
China's impressive run was ended by the brilliant performance of Tim Cahill, pushing host country Australia into the semifinals in a 2-0 victory.
The general consensus among Chinese netizens is that "Team China has been incredibly good and progressing tremendously." This comment has been liked and shared by many fans.
China beat Australia twice and made a tie in the last three matches.
In an engaging game in the Brisbane Stadium, where over 10,000 Chinese sang the national anthem and waved the Chinese red flag, Cahill struck two times in 15 minutes. First with an overhead kick and second with a header.
Chinese fans were frustrated for not having a "Cahill" version in the China Team. Social media Sina Weibo is littered with regrets over this fact.
Before the games, Chinese fans were unsure about their team's capacity. The general consensus among netizens is that China would not even make it to the knock-out round. However, hopes were raised after a few runs in the game.
A Chinese daily commented that "Team China have tried their best in the Asian Cup. Chinese players don't need to be sorry for their loss. You give us hope and have shown your strength. We are so proud of you and we expect more happy surprises."
The Chinese fans even picked up trash and bottles when the game ended and before leaving the stadium.
A random fan was heard saying: "The wonderful memory of the Asian Cup will stay for a long time."