second-placed team, thus reaching the third round. In the third round, China shared Group B with Asian powerhouses Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia, alongside Oman and Vietnam. The Chinese started poorly with two losses to Australia and Japan in Doha due to the COVID-19 pandemic at home preventing the country from hosting. After this poor start, China salvaged five points in the next four matches, including a hard-fought 3–2 win over Vietnam and two 1–1 draws to Oman and especially Australia, all occurring in Sharjah, the UAE. However, despite these improvements, Li Tie was sacked on 2 December 2021 amidst heavy criticism. Li Xiaopeng's era After Li Tie's resignation, his World Cup teammate Li Xiaopeng took the head coach position with immense pressure. China's first game under Li Xiaopeng, however, was a 0–2 away loss to Japan in Saitama, effectively ending China's hopes of finishing in the top two and could only rely on the play-offs. Yet, on 1 February 2022, coinciding with the traditional Lunar New Year in China, the Chinese stumbled to a shock 1–3 away loss to Vietnam in Hanoi, officially extending China's hunt for a second World Cup appearance to 24 years. This agonising defeat, the first in Chinese football history to its southern neighbour on a special day for both nations, triggered widespread public criticism and condemnation among Chinese fans. With their World Cup hopes completely lost, China grabbed a solitary point coming from a 1–1 draw with the Saudis before losing to Oman 0–2 in Muscat, finishing fifth with two more points than Vietnam. After poor forms in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, China took part in the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship under interim manager Aleksandar Janković. Within the leadership of the Serbian, China won four points, finishing third after a 1–0 win over Hong Kong, though for the first time in 12 years, China did not lose to Japan away. Team image The team is colloquially termed "Dragon's Team" (), "Team China" (), the "National Team" () or "Guózú" (, short for ). China's home kit is traditionally all-red with a white or yellow trim while their away kit is traditionally an inverted version of the home kit, fully white with a red trim. During the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, China employed a third kit which was all blue with a white trim and was used against Saudi Arabia during the