Seven-goal China in World Cup exit
 |  Dutchman Haan faces the media and the sack after China's World Cup exit |
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GUANGZHOU, China -- Coach Arie Haan faces the axe after China suffered a devastating exit from Asian World Cup qualifying on Wednesday despite thrashing Hong Kong 7-0.
Kuwait beat Malaysia 6-1 in the other group game to advance to next year's final round of qualifiers on goals scored after both teams finished with 15 points from six games.
"I'm empty inside," Haan said afterwards. "I feel sad for the players and for everybody who was involved in the game."
"You can't come closer than this," added the former Dutch World Cup star.
Kuwait's victory left them with an identical goal difference to China of plus 13.
But the Gulf side advanced to the final round of qualifying by virtue of having scored one goal more, 15 to China's 14.
Haan had said his contract would be terminated if his team failed to qualify but the Dutchman side-stepped the question after the match.
"I hope everything will not be destroyed," he said. "I hope they don't start again from zero. I'd like to say that the future is there. Don't start again -- go on."
China will rue a second-half penalty miss by Zheng Zhi, tipped around the post by Hong Kong's livewire 'keeper Fan Chun-yip, which could have taken them to the final qualifying round.
"What can you say about the game," said Haan, a member of the famous 'Total Football' Netherlands teams of the 1970s.
"We had enough scoring chances for almost three games but it makes it even more sad because we only scored one less than Kuwait.
"After a game like this there's not so much to say because it's over. Everybody tried their best and seven goals is a lot, but it wasn't enough today."
After news of Kuwait's victory filtered through to the crowd of 20,000 in Guangzhou, supporters filed dejectedly away and there were no initial reports of trouble.
China's players were in tears, however, with several sobbing as they boarded the team bus after the match.
Goal-den century
Iran's Ali Daei became the first player to score 100 international goals when he hit four in a 7-0 rout of Laos in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
The talismanic striker now has 102 goals in 133 appearances for Iran, who clinched a place in next year's final round of 2006 Asian World Cup qualifiers with victory in Tehran.
The 35-year-old Daei, who has had spells at German clubs Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin, passed Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas's previous record haul of 84 goals a year ago.
Pele is third in the all-time list with 77 goals for Brazil
Only the eight group winners -- Iran, Uzbekistan, Japan, Kuwait, North Korea, Bahrain, South Korea and Saudi Arabia -- go through to the next stage.
The teams will be divided into two groups of four in a draw on December 9. The top two teams from each of those group will then qualify directly for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The two third-placed teams will face each other in a two-leg playoff and the winner of that will play a team from the CONCACAF region, again over two legs, for a place in the finals.
