BEIJING - The Chinese women's soccer team was expected to defeat Australia and then fight a tough battle against world champion Japan in its final London Olympic qualifier on Sunday.

However, that expected "battle" has merely turned into a farewell game for coach Li Xiaopeng and striker Han Duan, who both quit after China lost to Australia 1-0 on Thursday.

The 36-year-old coach, who took charge of the national team last August, took responsibility for the squad's failure and announced his resignation at a post-match press conference.

"All of the players and coaches put forward their biggest efforts, and it's the head coach who should be blamed for the loss and take the responsibility," Li said. "We lost the chance to play at the London Olympics and the game against Japan on Sunday will be my last as the head coach.

"But I won't give up the game. I will encourage my players to give their all and prove we are not a bad team," he said. "We created some chances, but failed to score, that's soccer. Our team is not mature enough and I think people should pay more attention to youth development in women's soccer.

"There are differences between coaching a men's team and a women's team, and my advice to my successor is to stick with his or her own philosophy," said Li, who insisted the senior team should find a more capable tutor.

Besides Li (pictured), Chinese striker Han, who played with US soccer club Los Angeles Sol, also said on her blog that she has decided to leave the national team after the tournament.

"I don't know how to describe my feelings now. We have played our best, but the result has disappointed us. We have a lot of things to do, and all I think about now is the last game against Japan," the 28-year-old wrote. "This is not the end of the world and we still have to live our lives. I believe one day Chinese women's soccer will bounce back."

This is the first time China has failed to qualify for the Olympics since women's soccer was included at the Atlanta Games in 1996. The squad, once called the "Steel Roses" for its impressive performances in the 1990s, highlighted by two runner-up finishes at the 1996 Olympics and the 1999 World Cup in the United States, also for the first time missed the women's World Cup held in Germany in June and July.

"China is in need of a capable midfielder," said retired national team captain Sun Wen, who is now head coach of the Shanghai women's soccer team. "There's no player in this team who can combine the team together in attack or defense."

The 38-year-old, who was voted FIFA's Woman Player of the Century in 2002, also urged Chinese players to play clever soccer.

"The Chinese should learn to play with their brain and know how to run when they don't have the ball, because for nearly 98 percent of the time on the pitch, players are running without the ball, but most of our players always move without purpose," said Sun, who said she had no desire to coach the national team.

"Maybe we run a lot and we control the ball most of the time, but we do not create many chances to threaten our opponents," she said. "Don't say we are not physically strong, because the truth is we waste the ball so much."

China Daily