China's bid to qualify for the Asian Cup for an 11th consecutive occasion received an upset on Tuesday, after they were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom-placed Indonesia in Group C of the Asian Cup qualifiers.

China have qualified for every event since their first ­appearance at the competition in 1976.

The last time China were held to a draw by Indonesia was 56 years ago. China have won the last eight games between them, scoring a total of 32 goals and conceding just one.

The team's disappointing performance drew plenty of criticism from Chinese media on Wednesday.

The Dalian Evening News said the team had begun to act like fools again.

"They forget the pain soon after the wounds are healed," a report in the paper said. "After the humiliating 1-5 thrashing to Thailand, China played better soccer at the East Asian Cup, and fans are just beginning to feel a little confidence in them, and now they are beginning to act like fools again!"

The paper blamed "underestimating their opponents" for the disappointing performance.

"Before the match, players were conceited, and wasted a handful of chances during the match," the paper said. "That made Indonesia perform like Thailand after equalizing the score. If it weren't for Zeng Cheng [the Chinese ­goalkeeper], China could have been defeated."

After sacking disappointing head coach, Spaniard Jose Antonio Camacho, in June, China had enjoyed a mini-revival ­under caretaker coach Fu Bo before Tuesday's match.

But the matches China played during this period were mostly friendlies. Many fans fell in love with Chinese soccer again during the East Asian Cup. But the event, which sounds like an ­important tournament, is little more than a blip on the radar for most teams. Many of the best ­players on the other three teams - ­Japan, South Korea and ­Australia - did not enter the competition.

Having been knocked out in the early stages of the World Cup qualifiers, the Asian Cup qualifiers are the most important task for China at present.

The Qingdao-based Bandao News said the Chinese ­players "act like tigers in friendlies, but act like worms in formal matches."

"What is the most disappointing is that the team looked nothing like the one during the earlier friendly matches. Are the 'kings of the friendlies' back again?" the paper asked.

The other two teams in Group C are Saudi Arabia and Iraq. If China want to ensure one of the two automatic qualifying spots, they'll have to make sure to take maximum points off Indonesia.

Many supporters had hoped the Chinese Football Association (CFA) would offer Fu, former head coach of the Chinese under-22 soccer team, a full-time contract. But now it seems Fu has lost his chance.

"After failing to defeat the weakest team in the group, not only is the Asian Cup spot in danger, Fu's caretaker role is also at stake," the Chongqing Morning Post said in a report headlined "Honeymoon concludes in Jakarta."

There have long been ­rumors that Italian World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, current coach of Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande, might take over the Chinese national team. Now fans and the CFA might want him more than ever. But the Chengdu-based West China City Daily raised the question of whether Lippi would be brave enough to take a leading role over such a team.

Global times