Struggling to make a point

Team China's most clear-cut chance to take away a crucial three points came in the 82nd minute, when Zhu Chenjie headed the ball into the back of the net. However the exuberant celebrations of the players and fans were cut cruelly short by the fine margins of international soccer. The goal was overturned following a VAR review due to offside, with Chinese naturalized player Jiang Guangtai, also known as Tyias Browning, lurking on the goal line before Zhu headed the ball home.

The result, which ended up being defined by the ruling, sparked heated discussion online and generated a number of trending topics on Chinese social media. The hashtag "Team China 0-0 Tajikistan" had been viewed over 36 million times as of Sunday morning, with an argument over whether or not Team China had been robbed of victory still raging.

"No referees, including the use of VAR, can be 100 percent fair. Team China was robbed of a goal. The players were helpless once VAR stepped in. After the adjustment of the second half, Team China played well, and there is still hope," sports commentator Huang Jianxiang wrote on social media.

Regardless of the VAR ruling, the overall performance of Team China in its opening match of the campaign was far from satisfying. With just 10 attempts on goal, it was half that of Tajikistan — making its Asian Cup debut — which created more chances and recorded 20 shots at goal. Despite only two of the attempted shots from each side being on target, more pragmatic fans argue that the overturned goal should not excuse the team's overall sluggish performance.

"It's clear that Jiang Guangtai was in an offside position ... I wish our national team could have won, but, perhaps, the more important thing is to look at the way in which it could have achieved victory," said former Team China player Fan Zhiyi during an online live broadcast after the match.