From heroes to zeroes, Shao misses penalty kick

Shao Jiayi was a well-placed penalty kick away from becoming a hero for China's national team, but he was denied by Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer as the World Cup Asian Zone qualifier ended in a goalless draw on Wednesday in Kunming.

Second-half substitute and striker Qu Bo beat Australia's last defender with his blazing speed and was brought down by Schwarzer just four minutes from the final whistle.

Amid the deafening cheers from some 35,000 frenzied fans, Shao placed the ball on the spot and kicked it straight into Schwarzer's arms.

A dismayed Shao, the Bundesliga club Energie Cottbus striker who made his first international cap under current head coach Vladmir Petrovic after returning from a five-month injury, refused to answer any questions after the match, claiming he was in a rush to take the airplane back to Germany.

But coach Petrovic was pleased with his team's overall performance despite the missed penalty.

"We did a very good job today. Technically and tactically, our players did what the coaches asked them to," said the Serbian coach. "We showed determination and a fighting spirit throughout the match and we even could have won the match."

Asked why it was Shao who attempted the penalty, Petrovic said it was a sudden decision rather than one arranged before the match.

"We usually have the arrangement before a match for who will be the top choice to take a penalty. But things are changing during competitions. In the second half of today's match, Shao just came to the turf from the bench and he was the physically best one to score.

"But penalties sometimes go out of control as you need some luck. This time luck is not on our side."

Petrovic also defended Shao's failure, saying even world superstars cannot avoid such disappointing moments.

"I did not criticize him. I was encouraging him after the match. Everyone is likely to miss a penalty. Even Raul and Ronaldinho had the same experiences."

It was the second time in as many games that China missed a penalty. In a warm-up match against Thailand last week, center-back Li Weifeng also failed to score a spot kick.

Petrovic did show some concern that some players have not taken penalty training seriously enough.

"During daily training we have penalty shooting session. But I think our players did not take it seriously. They were not concentrated enough."

More chances

Taking advantage of the high altitude in Kunming and a short-handed Socceroos side playing without major Europe-based stars like Celtic striker Scott McDonald, Everton midfielder Tim Cahill, Karlsruhe striker Josh Kennedy, and Blackburn wingback Brett Emerton, China created more chances in an action-packed match.

A determined Chinese team put the pressure on the Australians right from the start. Fierce challenges like the one from center-back Feng Xiaoting that forced striker Archie Thompson to limp off the pitch five minutes in set the tone early.

"We were missing three strikers before the match, and Thompson's injury made the match more difficult for us," said Australia coach Peter Verbeek. "But I am satisfied with my players in the following time. We had very good communication and we even controlled the rhythm most in the second half.

"We're here to win, but a draw is still a very good result."

Though Australia controlled the ball for longer, it was China that ended up with more corners and free kicks.

Led by England Championship club Charlton playmaker Zheng Zhi and Manchester City midfielder Sun Jihai, China used effective counter attacks and was close to goal several times in the first half.

Both sides slowed down the pace in the second half and there were few real chances until the last-gasp penalty miss.

"Zheng and Sun showed their leading roles in the match. Both are very important for a quality match," said Petrovic. "We were not aggressive on home soil because everyone knows Australia is a tough opponent."

Petrovic also insisted China has a good chance to advance into the Asian Zone final round, even though it now has only two points from two matches, including an opening 1-1 draw to Iraq.

"I do not see any reason to be pessimistic about our chances (to advance). We showed very good form in the first two matches against two very strong teams and I think we have a very good chance to beat Iraq and Qatar at home."

The top two finishers from each group will advance into the 10-team final round, which will be divided into two groups again. The best two teams from each group win tickets for the 2010 South Africa World Cup.