Lippi's men dare to dream as goals flow

7-0 thrashing of Guam keeps China perfect in World Cup qualifying

China produced seven more reasons for fans to dream of World Cup qualification in Guangzhou on Thursday.

Much tougher tests await but a 7-0 thumping of minnow Guam showed Marcello Lippi's side is at the very least restoring confidence as it moved top of Group A with six points from two games.

Victory in the Philippines on Tuesday would truly provide cause to believe the 2022 finals in Qatar are within reach.

China had been widely expected to easily dispatch of the 195th-ranked Guam. However, the seven-goal haul, added to the five in last month's rout of the Maldives, bodes well for Lippi's side, which continues to look a more potent force since the recent introduction of naturalized striker Ai Kesen, aka Elkeson, to the squad.

China's immediate aim is to reach a 12-team second round of Asian zone qualifying, which will be comprised of eight group winners and the four best second-place finishers.

"Although our opponents were not strong, the players played a good game. We had some good combinations and got the three points. Our target is to qualify for the last-12 stage," said head coach Lippi after the match.

"The players were very focused, that's good. But they could improve their touches in some cases.

"As I've always said, we have to be totally focused from the first minute. Once we have a big lead, we can start to consider the next game."

China's goal rush was one of the biggest trending topics on social media on Thursday night, with related topics viewed over 120 million times by Friday afternoon. Amid the cheer, however, many fans were reserving judgement on China's qualification chances until after Tuesday's clash against the Philippines in Bacolod.

After racing into a 3-0 lead by the 19th minute, it quickly became apparent that the opposition at a packed Tianhe Stadium was severely lacking in defensive nous. China ended the half 6-0 up thanks to four goals by Yang Xu and further strikes by Wu Lei and Wu Xi.

"My team is made up of amateurs and for the first three games we have produced amateurish performances," said Guam's Australian coach Karl Dodd.

"We lost ourselves in the first half, and I asked my boys to enjoy the game after the break. We tried to attack throughout the game, but it's the reality that we have big gaps."

Four-goal hero Yang admitted Guam's defense was far from the meanest he had ever faced but was nonetheless proud of his feat.

"We cooperate better and better on the field. Lippi has faith in us and we want to play better to pay back his faith," said Yang.

"Scoring four goals was something unexpected. We really desired the victory and managed to score as many as we could. After all, this is not a strong opponent in Group A.

"I want to tell our story to my kid. I hope to inspire children and be their role model. We all want good results on our way to qualifying for the World Cup."

Guam was also unable to contain Wu Lei, with the striker a constant thorn in the visitor's side despite his hectic recent schedule with Espanyol.

Wu continues to impress for the Spanish club, netting in a Europa League victory at CSKA Moscow last week, and says his experiences abroad should reap benefits for China's qualifying campaign.

"In a top European league, the pace is much faster than the domestic league. The intensity in Spain has helped me to become more and more confident," said the 27-year-old, who netted in the 17th minute and was replaced by Zhang Xizhe with just over half-an-hour remaining.

"My experience in Europe is enabling me to contribute more for the national team."

Ai Kesen completed the scoring in the 75th minute to add to the brace he bagged in his debut against the Maldives, although the Brazil-born Guangzhou Evergrande striker was not at his most clinical.

"Considering it's the late stage of the Chinese Super League and Ai Kesen also played in the AFC Champions League, he is not in the best physical condition after fighting in three competitions," Lippi said of the 30-year-old's display.