China's new coach Arie Haan says he will be happy if his side scores a goal when they take on the overpowering might of world champions Brazil on Wednesday.
Haan acknowledges it will be "really difficult for us" against a side Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira promises will be at full strength -- Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldhino and all -- and determined to demonstrate they are worthy world champions.
"I think if you're on the other side, I don't think you have to be afraid," the former Netherlands international told Reuters in an interview.
"First, I hope we can score a goal," Haan said.
"What is a good result? I don't know. What's important is the Chinese players have a good performance. I mean, to show that they can play football," he said.
How good a performance, Haan did not know.
"We've had too little games, preparation, and it's a pity to say, but these players don't have any rhythm of the game. So they have to find the rhythm in this game and I'm very curious if it'll happen."
Haan said he had asked China's football leadership to select the squad for him and
The most notable omission was Fan Zhiyi, arguably China's best ever player but now 33 and playing in the English second division with Cardiff City.
But with six overseas players, led by Li Tie who is having an excellent first season with English premier league side Everton, Haan is confident he has a platform to build on.
"They have a lot of young players. It's not a problem," he said, joking that in a country of 1.3 billion people he was sure that "we will find a lot of good players".
Against Brazil, "most important is to play and learn that they see how you can play top football", he said.
"We can tell them a lot, but they have to feel it. We have to feel our game in the circle."
Fans in the southern city of Guangzhou appeared to have similar expectations to Haan after watching their team reach the World Cup finals for the first time last year and depart without a goal or a point and thrashed 4-0 by Brazil.
"If China could score one goal, I'd be very satisfied. That would be enough to make me happy," said middle-aged Ding Qing.