BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Two straight victories ensured China the quarterfinal spot at the Asian Cup on Wednesday, which is the first time since 2004 for China to reach the tournament knockout stage and get Chinese media and the netizens excited.
China beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 on Sunday and then defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 Wednesday, ensuring China the top place of Group B with one more game in hand.
China's internet portal Sina.com acclaimed China's two opening straight wins in group stage was the best start for China in 27 years in Asian Cup.
The heavyweight newspaper People's Daily expressed thanks to this Chinese team on its social media account and admitted the first quarterfinal berth in 11 years was good enough to earn applause from all.
The black horse performance also inspired Chinese internet users to make jokes on China's soccer.
"There's little time left for Chinese team" was usually used when Chinese team is falling behind by one goal or two goals, which is the most likely scenario in matches before. This time it was paraphrased to "There's little time left for Uzbekistan" when China were 2-1 ahead in the match.
A lot of soccer fans twitted on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, that they are expecting to see Chinese team in the 2018 World Cup finals.
"Sometimes spirit is what matters," Li Yi, a former Chinese international, said on his Weibo account. "As long as you play your best, I will support you for good."