Lying 47 places behind their opponents in the world rankings at 119, Thailand showed that hierarchy on the pitch meant nothing after turning in a spirited performance.

Zhu, who has been facing mounting calls for his ouster, faces more pressure after another lethargic display by his team.

Thailand coach Chanvit Pholchivin decided to recall some veterans into the team after leaving them out for long periods.

While many players of similar rank, including close friend Tawan Sripan, were given an international lifeline, evergreen forward Kiartisak Senamuang was not part of the squad, a move which is likely to signal an end to his international career.

Chanvit, who said he would use the game to experiment, fielded a side that had a mixture of youth and experience, with senior players Terdsak Jaiman and Tawan being the main source of creativity in midfield.

Meanwhile Zhu was deprived of the services of many of his European-based stars but was still able to put on a relatively strong line-up, with former Everton player Li Tie playing as a holding midfielder.

With both teams having a short period in training together ahead of the match, it was no surprise that the initial period was somewhat scrappy, with the two sides giving away possession too cheaply.

The visitors were the first to have sight of goal with a headed effort in the fifth minute from a right-side corner but the attempt was too close for Thai goalie Kosin Hathairattanakul who held the ball easily.

The chances then became few and far between before Thailand got their first glimpse of goal when Tawan, known for his powerful long range drives, dispatched a vicious effort from just outside the area which took a deflection off a defender before narrowly fizzling over the crossbar.

China, who clearly intended to exploit their physical advantage, gave the hosts the jitters midway through the first half when Hao Junmin delivered a delightful cross to the far post where Shandong Luneng striker Li Jinyu agonisingly failed to guide his header on target from a promising position.

The hosts responded with long-range shots from Jakrit Boonkum and Natthaporn Panlit but both harmlessly went wide of the Chinese goalkeeper's left-hand post.

After a brief period of action, the game dropped off before bursting into life in the final five minutes of the half in which the Kingdom managed to create the goal out of the blue.

In the 40th minute, the visitors' defence was guilty of leaving too much time and space for Tawan in front of the box and the midfielder gleefully took his chance by firing a rasping drive. With the ferocity of the effort, Li Leilei spilled the ball which fell kindly in the path of Pipat Thonkanya, who before then was anonymous, slam home into the empty net.

Moments later, the hosts had what appeared a reasonable claim for penalty declined when good work between right back Suree Sukha and Suthee Suksomkit sent the former menacingly into the area before being tumbled down by a sliding challenge.

The action did not finish there as China still had time to retaliate only for Jinyu to make a hash of a chance presented to him inside the six-yard box following a tantalising delivery from the left flank.

The game looked much more interesting after the break, with the visitors upping their pace in search of an equaliser.

Despite being pushed on the back foot for most of the period, Thailand looked more threatening from their counter-attack opportunities and indeed could have won the match with a bigger margin had their attackers showed more composure in front of the goal.

Meanwhile, the pre-Olympic soccer qualification Asian Zone Group E match between Thailand and hosts North Korea ended in a goalless tie.

Kitinan Sanguansak

 The Nation