DUBAI, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- China coach Marcello Lippi announced resignation here on Thursday after China lost to Syria 2-1 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualification.
The Italian made the announcement at the post-match press conference.
"I was well paid and I take the full responsibility. I am now announcing my resignation and I will be no longer the coach of Team China," the 71-year-old said.
The two sides tied 1-1 before the interval and looked rather balanced in the second half until Chinese defender Zhang Linpeng deflected substitute Omar Khrbin's pass into his own net in the 76th minute.
China now sit in second place in the five-team Group A with seven points from four games, five points behind group leader Syria.
Having seen an unexpected 0-0 draw with the Philippines on October 15, China are in danger of missing the final round of the Asian Zone qualifying. Only the top team from the eight groups and the four best second-place finishers will advance.
"We could beat weaker opponents like Maldives and Guam, but when we encountered stronger teams like the Philippines and Syria, we could not play our own football," Lippi said.
It was the second time for Lippi to announce his resignation as China coach. He had taken charge of Team China in 2016 and quitted in January 2019 after China lost 3-0 to Iran in AFC Asian Cup. Lippi second spell began from this May.
