Players of China leave the pitch after losing the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying match against Uzbekistan in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Oct 11, 2016.? [Photo/Xinhua]

Soccer fans throughout the country unleashed a new wave of criticism of the national soccer team after China's dream of reaching the FIFA World Cup finals was crushed on Tuesday.

After China lost 0-2 to Uzbekistan in its fourth game of the final qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup, and coach Gao Hongbo announced his resignation at the post-match news conference, fans took to social media to defend him.

They urged the Chinese Football Association to take more responsibility for what they called poor youth development rather than replacing coaches one after another.

"Whenever the national team loses, they just want to switch coaches and lure a foreign coach with a lucrative contract. It's just a case of passing the buck," a user named Yanyanlong said on Sina Weibo, China's major micro blog platform.

After the loss in Tashkent, the Chinese team is second from the bottom of its group, with just one point. Its chances of finishing in the top two remained a mere theoretical possibility, despite six group matches still to be played through September next year.

Gao said his decision to step down was made together with CFA officials before the game.

"I had an in-depth discussion with the CFA leaders on the eve of this game. They said the head coach should take responsibility for the team's performance. I accept this, so it is my time to leave," said Gao, a former China international striker.

In February, Gao took over from Frenchman Alain Perrin－who was fired after the team's lackluster performance in the early qualifying stage－and helped the squad bounce back to progress to the final round.

CFA President Cai Zhenhua told Chinese media that whether Gao's resignation would be approved must be assessed by a professional expert panel and follow the required procedures.

"We have not discussed who is to succeed Gao. We need to approach the issue with a more rational mindset rather than unleashing negative emotions," Cai told Beijing Youth Daily on Wednesday.

Despite China's strong showing at the Olympics and its standing as the world's second-largest economy, it remains a minnow on the global soccer stage. It has invested huge amounts of money into the game after President Xi Jinping called for efforts to boost soccer's profile in China, with the aim of one day hosting and winning the World Cup.

China has only qualified once for the World Cup, in 2002, and currently ranks 78th in the world.