Soccer coach Shen Xiangfu's team lies second in Group A with four points, five adrift of leader South Korea, which has won all three matches.

Shen, who had vowed to score four or five goals against Malaysia, drew heavy fire after his team managed only one point in Wuhan, central China, on March 20.

But they saw a glimpse of hope again to qualify for the Athens Olympics this summer with a thrilling 3-1 win over Iran one week later.

Yan Shiduo, vice president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), praised the team for its spirited performance in the Iran match at a recent meeting and encouraged them to forge ahead.

"Don't calculate the points. Just be prepared for the next match," he said. "And you should forget whether you can qualify or not. You should look to win all the remaining three matches."

China will travel to Iran next week and a win there would put pressure on South Korea.

Team captain Du Wei is confident that China will play in Athens.

"We have been preparing for the Athens Olympics for four years," he said. "We cannot succumb to the difficulties. We should fight to the last gasp. We still believe that we can qualify."

China will host South Korea on May 1 and play its final match against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on May 12.

(Xinhua News Agency April 6, 2004)