Team China head coach Aleksandar Jankovic, however, refused to complain.

"One of the first things I learned in football is that you don't solve problems with tears and crying," Jankovic told assembled media at the post-match news conference.

The Serbian added that, while it's regretful that the goal was overturned, the reason why his team failed to secure a victory was not just because of the VAR decision. He believes his team still has many things to improve, and his next goal is to secure all three points from Lebanon on Wednesday.

With only one point in its pocket, Team China now ranks second in Group A, with host Qatar, which beat Lebanon 3-0 in the tournament opener on Saturday, now top of the group. After Lebanon, Team China will face Qatar on Jan 22.

A total of 24 teams will compete across six groups, with the top two from each group and the four best third-place finishers advancing to the round of 16.

"The result was not good news for Team China, and they have to secure a victory in the next two group matches. Otherwise it will be hard for them to emerge from the group stage," wrote sports commentator Han Qiaosheng on social media.

"During the opening match, it's OK to say that it was Tajikistan that controlled the ball for most of the game, and the statistics support it. There was little to cheer for in Team China's first match, as we made too many mistakes.

"The sluggish performance won't be improved in just one or two days. So, in a way, a draw is not a very bad result."

For the players, the main focus now is to secure a victory against Lebanon.

"As players, we want to win as much as we can. After Saturday's match, we will adjust based on the problems we found and prepare the best we can for the next match," said Zhu.

"We will analyze and study the match videos of Lebanon, and we will get an understanding of our next rival. We also watched the opening match between Qatar and Lebanon. In the coming matches, we will all fight as one in both attack and defense."

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn