New hope for Chinese football?

Chinese football has been languishing in the doldrums for years but under new coach Gao Hongbo the national side could be turning a corner, if recent results are anything to go by.

Gao, at 43 China’s youngest ever coach, got his reign off to a promising start with a 1-1 draw against an under-strength Germany last Friday, and followed it up with a battling 1-0 victory over Iran on Monday evening.

But Gao, who was appointed last month after managing club teams in Beijing, Guangzhou and Singapore, is not getting carried away.

“One-nil doesn’t mean we are better than them,” he told reporters following the game in Qinhuangdao, in which striker Gao Lin scored the winner just before half-time.

“After this match we have gained some good experience, it is useful when we meet another team from west Asia.

“This China team is young and we have lots of work to do before we can reach our goal. I hope I can lead this team on the right path as soon as possible,” he added.

A former national striker, Gao is China’s seventh coach since 2000 and took over after the side failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and then made an embarrassingly early exit from the Olympics on home turf.

They have since slumped to 97th in the FIFA world rankings — sandwiched between Qatar and Sierra Leone — and have qualified for the World Cup just once, in 2002.

The new coach’s most immediate task is steering them to the 2011 Asian Cup finals in Qatar but ultimately he has his eye on the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“Chinese football is currently at a low point, but we have the obligation and responsibility to… create a national team that is special, capable and has hope,” he said when he took over.

Against Iran, Gao made nine changes to the team that drew with Germany, handing debuts to He Yang and Rong Hao, as he looks to find his best 11.

And his young side showed plenty of energy with some disciplined defence and sharp attacks.

Iran had only one clear chance, in the 55th minute when Javad Kazemian broke free only to see his shot cleared off the line.

It was not the perfect preparation for Iran coach Seyed Ghotbi as his team gears up for a crucial World Cup qualifier against North Korea on Saturday.

But he was full of praise for China.

“China showed their quality with two good results against Germany and us,” he told Xinhua news agency.

“The future is bright for them and I should congratulate the young coach for his first win.”

China next play Saudi Arabia in a friendly on Thursday.