Marcelo Lippi （File photo）
As words filtered through of archrivals South Korea's 2-1 win over the South American giants Uruguay, despondent China supporters wandered home disillusioned again by a team who always manage to hit a new low.
Marcelo Lippi's men suffered humiliation at the hands of India as they were held to a goalless draw in an international friendly that has been dubbed "The Earth Derby," with the two countries account for more than a third of the world's population.
However, there is no indication yet that India or China, both still laggards in football terms, has recaptured the physical and mental strength to inspire a revival.
India's Gurpreet Singh, who repeatedly foiled the hosts' offensive onslaught with some stunning saves, was their only bright spark, while China, dominant but wasteful, have failed to find the back of the net for the third match in a row.
Lippi admitted he could turn exasperated if he had to and this horribly lame performance must have tested his temper.
China's first half was awful, a reminder of some of their worst performances in recent years. Things slightly improved after Lippi sent on Yu Hanchao, Xiao Zhi, Yu Hai and Liu Yiming after the break but a full-house at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium was not impressed.
Stephen Constantine's team proved they were no mugs with a gutsy defensive effort. With every player fully committed to the cause, they lost only to a Gao Lin volley which hit the post and a Wu Lei strike that rattled the crossbar.
It clearly did wonders for their self-belief because, after settling into unfamiliar surroundings, India, who failed to beat China in their last 17 attempts, continued to cause problems for Lippi's team, but their precision in front of goal left a lot to be desired.
Shandong Luneng star Jin Jingdao, who was awarded his first cap under Lippi due to his imperious club form in the Chinese Super League, performed a couple of early tricks to please the crowd but his impact was negligible.
The 26-year-old toiled for 45 minutes without making much of an impression and was replaced by Yu Hanchao. China lifted the tempo in the final stages but looked vulnerable at the back as a result.
India came closest through Farukh Choudhary, who almost fired home a historic 93th-minute winner but saw a point-blank effort denied by a rutheless Yan Junling.
China ultimately survived as the match ended in a stalemate but there is no time for Lippi to breathe a sigh of relief as he immediately underlined the deepening crisis at Team Dragon by questioning how much some of his players care about their alarming slide.
"Three games without a win are really a serious warning for us. With the Chinese Super League in its business end, we don't have many players in the national team setup who will go to the Asian Cup," Lippi said.
"Some players are injured and you have to understand the fierceness of the CSL. Some players clearly didn't take this friendly and national team seriously, " he added.
Lippi's frank assessment was the latest evidence of the rifts running through this national team. The Italian veteran also criticized his players' attitude in public after China lost to an inexperienced Qatar side 0-1 last month.
But his latest comments suggest the message is not getting through to everyone, which will be of particular concern to the Chinese Football Association, who want to see proof the World Cup-winning coach can still deliver in January's Asian Cup finals.
"Our team have always lacked the finishing instinct and our luck is very poor. This has also challenged my personal decisions."
"But we will find ways to adjust the state of the team in the Asian Cup," Lippi insisted.
For a team that have not scored since June, that will be an extremely tall order.
