The two teams played out a 2-2 draw in Singapore last week as the hosts rescued a point with second-half goals from Faris and Jacob Mahler after Wu's brace had given China a 2-0 lead in Ivankovic's first game in charge.

China will host Thailand in its next outing when the first-round qualifying campaign resumes on June 6, before challenging current group leader South Korea five days away.

With the precious three points earned at home, China now sits second in Group C, trailing only South Korea, who beat Thailand 3-0 on Tuesday, with a bright prospect to enter the final qualifying stage involving 18 teams.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn