Following yet another disappointing defeat, Marcello Lippi has resigned again as the head coach of China’s national team.

The loss came in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on Thursday against Syria, the current Group A leader, and could likely cost China its chance of appearing in the international tournament.

China has only once qualified for the World Cup, a feat it achieved back in 2002 before going winless and scoreless in the group stage, but had strong hopes of making this next one in Dubai. Only the winners of each of the eight qualification groups will advance to the next round along with the four runners-up with the best records.

The defeat leaves China hopelessly behind Syria who have yet to lose a game. Earlier, China thrashed both Guam and the Maldives but ended up in a scoreless tie against the Philippines.

China, a country of over 1.3 billion people with massive investments in football, ranks about 14 places ahead of Syria, a country of around 18 million which has been ripped apart by civil war, in FIBA’s ranking. It lost 2-1 on an own goal from defender Zhang Linpeng.

At a press conference after the match, Lippi announced his resignation, declaring, “My pay is very high, and I take all the blame.”

The 71-year-old Italian, who led Italy to win the 2006 World Cup, had served as the manager of China’s national team starting in November 2016 but when his contract expired in January of this year, he declined to renew it following a loss to Iran in the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals.

However, he was soon convinced to return, being reappointed in May and lasting only six months.