China, the world's most populous nation, capped the most significant year in their sporting history yesterday when the national team reached the World Cup finals for the first time.
Three months after China won the right to stage their first Olympics, in 2008, a 1-0 defeat of Oman in an Asian
qualifier in the industrial city of Shenyang set off wild celebrations.
Hundreds of thousands of Beijing citizens swarmed to Tiananmen Square to celebrate in a burst of patriotic fervour similar to that in July when the International Olympic Committee voted to hand the Olympics to the Chinese capital.
The result, together with the qualification of the United States after a 2-1 defeat of Jamaica, provided a huge boost to the commercial viability of the finals in Japan and South Korea.
A country of 1.2 billion people, one-sixth of the world's population, will now turn on their television sets to watch the national team playing the world's most popular sport.
With Russia joining England, Italy, Croatia, Portugal and Denmark in the finals after qualifying games on Sunday, the event has guaranteed interest among billions of people from Beijing to Boston and Moscow to Milan.
A nervous Chinese display and a persistent cold drizzle did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of 60,000 fans who packed the stadium in Shenyang. Many sported red headbands and painted faces, and banged drums.
The single goal in the 37th minute by midfielder Yu Genwei, replacing the suspended Qi Hong, was enough to break a World Cup jinx going all the way back to 1957, when China first entered the premier soccer competition.
They have now secured top spot in Asian group B with two games to spare, which means automatic qualification.
Soccer has yet to gain a firm place in the competitive United States sports market, but the 2-1 defeat of Jamaica in a Concacaf (North, Central America and Caribbean) qualifier in Foxboro, Massachusetts, provided a huge boost to the game in North America.
The result ended Jamaica's hopes of reaching the finals. They played at the finals for the first time in 1998.
The United States are now certain of grabbing one of the top three spots in the group, which secure qualification for the finals, after Honduras surprisingly lost 1-0 at home to Trinidad and Costa Rica drew 0-0 with Mexico.
Trinidad had previously gained just one point from their eight games in the group.
Costa Rica are top with 20 points ahead of the United States in second with 16. Honduras and Mexico have 14.
Since Honduras and Mexico play each other in the last round of matches next month, only one of the two teams can overtake the United States.
The Americans sealed victory and a place in their seventh finals with two goals from Joe-Max Moore, in the fourth and 81st minutes. Jamaica replied with a 14th-minute goal from James Lawrence.
At the other end of the scale to China, tiny Liechtenstein finished their cup campaign with a 5-0 defeat by Bosnia in European group seven.
They lost all of their eight games, failing to score and conceding 23 goals.
In Stockholm, Sweden, already assured of qualification after winning group four ahead of Turkey, burst into life in the second half of their last qualifier to beat Azerbaijan 3-0.
The first half was goalless.
In the South America zone, Brazil revived their chances of qualifying after struggling to a 2-0 win over Chile in a tense qualifier at home in Curitiba.
Second-half goals from Edilson and Rivaldo gave the four-times champions three priceless points after they had struggled to break down a massed Chilean defence in the first spell.
Brazil, in danger of losing their record as the only country to have played at every World Cup, stayed fourth in the South American group with 27 points.
Uruguay, level on points with Brazil before yesterday's matches, could only draw 1-1 against Colombia, meaning Brazil are now two points ahead of fifth-placed Uruguay. Four teams qualify automatically for the finals, with the fifth-placed team meeting Oceania winners Australia in a two-leg playoff for a further place.
- AGENCIES
THE QUALIFIERS
Twenty-one of 36 teams have so far qualified for the World Cup.
Holders: France.
Co-hosts: Japan, South Korea.
Europe: Poland, Sweden, Spain, Russia, England, Croatia, Portugal, Denmark, Italy.
South America: Argentina.
Africa: Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, South Africa.
Concacaf: Costa Rica, United States.
Asia: China.
China, the world's most populous nation, capped the most significant year in their sporting history yesterday when the national team reached the World Cup finals for the first time.
Three months after China won the right to stage their first Olympics, in 2008, a 1-0 defeat of Oman in an Asian
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