Coach sees silver lining after Bayi comes up short against DPR Korea

The thunderous applause for China's Bayi women's soccer squad after Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in their gold medal match at the 7th Military World Games was a fitting farewell.

It's not the national team, but Bayi demonstrated the same indomitable spirit as the "Steel Roses", battling until the very last second in front of around 6,300 appreciative spectators at Hankou Culture and Sports Center in Wuhan.

Team China, featuring nine internationals who played at this summer's World Cup finals in France, had already made history by making the Military World Games final for the first time, following an emphatic sweep of the group stage that included victories over South Korea (3-0), Germany (4-0) and the United States (4-0).