Fans of the Chinese National Football Team warmly welcomed the squad as they returned home after a quarterfinal exit from the Asian Cup held in Sydney, Australia.
The team led by captain Zheng Zhi arrived at the Beijing International Airport on Saturday morning after losing 2-0 from hosts Socceroos at the quarterfinals that saw them bid goodbye to their quest for the championships.
While some Chinese fans have collected heartbreak over the years with the squad's countless of failures to secure a World Cup seat, qualifying only once in 76 years, which also resulted in their elimination, and an Asian Cup trophy, this year was different.
Fans saw the determination and resilience of the team to fight and reach the highest they could in the tournament.
Wang Jianlin, an avid supporter of Team Dragon, was among those who camped overnight to welcome the team home.
He said: "I will turn 50 next year and have watched the Chinese team for most of my life. After countless failures in World Cup qualifiers including the 'Black 519' and Asian Cups, I was once totally disappointed."
But this time, Wang said that things have changed.
"I saw their determination this time. A last eight finish was good enough and I am looking forward to the World Cup qualifiers," he added.
Team Dragon or "Longzhi Dui" was its group's dark horse after being set with three-time champions Saudi Arabai, No. 4-ranked Uzbekistan and DPR Korea in Group B. But the team surprised everyone as it blew Saudi Arabia's first loss in the group stages.
While the match against Uzbekistan saw the former Soviet Union team lead in the first half with a goal by Odil Ahmedov, China remained relentless in going for the equalizer. Their efforts were not in vain as Wu Xi and Sun Ke scored a goal each in the second half to win the match for the Chinese.
Team Dragon was expected to meet a real match to its defense with DPR Korea, their last match in the group stages. But early goals from Sun brought them advantage, which the Koreans were unable to match. In the end, the Chinese won 2-1 against their East Asian neighbors to reach the quarters and face the Australians.
Defender Zhang Linpeng shared optimism about his team's future despite their exit from the Asian Cup.
"We have spared no effort, although we didn't make it to the semifinals," noted the defender. "We have created many wonderful records. We are young and still have a long way to go," Zhang added.