Story highlights Syria beats China in World Cup qualifier

China's first home World Cup loss since 2011

Syria's first win of Asian qualifying round three

(CNN) Their goal is to "put a smile on Syrian faces."

The country has been ravaged by a five-year civil war, but its footballers are doing their best to inspire hope.

The "Qasioun Eagles" kickstarted their bid to qualify for the World Cup for the first time with a surprise victory away to China on Thursday.

Mahmoud Al-Mawas' second-half goal secured a 1-0 victory in Xi'an -- Syria's first win of round three in Asian qualifying for the 2018 tournament in Russia.

The 23-year-old latched onto Ahmad Al Salih's pass to round the goalkeeper and roll the ball into an empty net nine minutes after the interval, as China slipped to its first World Cup qualifying defeat on home soil since 2011.