China's Zhou Gaoping is ready for a corner kick during the team's Asian qualifiers against South Korea for the 2012 Olympic Games in Jinan, East China's Shandong province, Sept 1, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

JINAN - Host China and South Korea have drawn a goalless tie to get one point each on Thursday at the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2012 Olympic Games.

As a traditional heavyweight, the Chinese women's soccer team, now seeking to recover from the shock of missing their first FIFA Women's World Cup last July in Germany, was surprisingly beaten in almost every aspect of statistics by South Korea at their opening match of the ten-day round-robin tournament.

Having concentrated all to the preparation for the qualification since last May, China showed few of their trademarked ball-controlling skills and dazzle paces, trailing the South Koreans 6 to 14 on the scoring attempts and shooting on target for just once against the visitors' six.

The only sparkles for the Chinese after the break came in the 59th minute, right after veteran striker Han Duan was sent up to the pitch, as forward Xu Yuan's straight kick was denied by Korean goalie Kim Jung-mi and defender Li Danyang's low shot narrowly missed the left post just seconds later.

China's goalie Zhang Yanru (C) tries to save a shot against a South Korean player (8) at the Asian qualifiers for the 2012 Olympic Games in Jinan, East China's Shandong province, Sept 1, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

Even a ten-plus-touch team play of the Host with just nine minutes on the clock failed to result in a decent shot.

If the Chinese failed to finish in top two against the new World Cup winners Japan, reigning Asian Cup holders Australia, German World Cup competitors DPR Korea, South Korea and Thailand, it will be the first time that China are missing from the Olympic Games.

While the upstarts South Korea seeking for their first ever Olympic berth here, China had appeared for four times with a silver medal in 1996 following the United States, but the so called Steel Roses have been in danger place, that went so apparent after their absence in Germany.