Beijing, CHINA, October 7 (AP) - Bora Milutinovic has done it again - this time with China, which will be playing in its first World Cup.
The globe-trotting Yugoslav coach is headed to his fifth World Cup with his fifth team. He coached China to a 1-0 win over Oman on Sunday in the Chinese city of Shenyang, sparking widespread celebrations.
Milutinovic's World Cup resume features Mexico in 1986, Costa Rica in 1990, the United States in 1994 and Nigeria in 1998.
Yu Genwei scored in the 35th minute as China became the first Asian nation to advance through qualifying to next year's tournament. South Korea and Japan earned automatic berths in the 32-nation field as co-hosts.
Chinese football fans celebrate following
China's historic 1-0 victory over Oman
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While calling the victory the happiest moment in his career, Milutinovic sounded a sober note on the team's chances next year.
"Everybody here knows that China is not a strong team," he said. "Asia is rather backward in football. And other Asian teams performed not so well in the World Cup finals."
In Beijing, revelers poured into the cold night to celebrate with strings of banned firecrackers, air horns, bells and whistles. Young people who watched the game on TV outside bars in the Sanlitun nightlife district swarmed into an intersection near the main soccer stadium.
Tens of thousands of others swarmed toward Tiananmen Square in the city's heart, paralyzing traffic. At Beijing University, students rallied, singing the national
anthem and chanting ``Long live China.''
