After getting knocked out of the Asian Games with a 3-0 loss to South Korea, host China took a shellacking from the media, which labeled the team the worst in the nation's history.

China beat Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia, but had also lost to Japan, 3-0. The latest loss, "rubbed salt into the wounds of Chinese soccer, which has been hit hard in the last few years by match-fixing, crooked referees and illegal gambling," Xinhua news agency said.

Leading web portal Sina.com said there was little hope for the future of a youth side that is "paralyzed by fear" of their East Asian opponents.

"China's nightmare of losing to its perennial rival, the Republic of Korea, continued on Monday," said the China Daily in a story headlined: "China chokes in front of huge crowd of home team supporters."