China eliminated from World Cup after losing to Iraq 1-2

TIANJIN, North China, June 14 (Xinhua) -- China were eliminated from the 2010 World Cup after losing to Iraq 1-2 in their Group A match of the Asian qualifying preliminary round here on Saturday.

China, who qualified for only one World Cup finals when they lost all three group matches in South Korea in 2002, are the sure bottom team in the group with only three points with one match left.

They will take on Australia in their last match although the result can change nothing for them.

China went ahead after 33 minutes as Zhou Haibin opened the scoring.

But only eight minutes later, Iraq, the reigning Asian Cup champion, leveled the score through striker Ridha Emad, who cashed in on China's defensive error and headed the ball into China's goal.

Iraq took control after the interval. Playmaker Nashat Akram hit the winner on 66 minutes to take Iraq's points total to seven, the same as leaders Australia and Qatar, who play later in Doha.