Ronaldinho of Brazil controls the ball during Men's First Round-Group C-Match 23 between China and Brazil of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games football event at QHD Stadium in Qinhuangdao, an Olympic co-host city in north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 13, 2008. Brazil beat China 3-0. (Xinhua/Gong Zhihong) Photo Gallery>>>

    QINHUANGDAO, East China, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian men's soccer team defeated host China 3-0 in their last group match in the Olympic tournament here on Wednesday.

    Brazil thus advanced to the finals with an unbeaten record from Group C, and would take on Cameroon in their quarterfinal match.

    The loss of China was the fourth consecutive time that the Olympic host countries failed to progress to the knockout stage.

    Brazil's first goal came in the 18th minute into the match. Alves Diego ran after a through pass by Ronaldinho, and avoided Chinese goalkeeper Liu Zhenli on their one-on-one encounter before he coolly sent the ball into the empty net.

    In the 68th minute, Han Peng, a usual striker but played a defensive position in today's match, received a yellow card after pulling down Brazil's striker Sobis Rafael.

Thiago Neves of Brazil stops the ball during Men's First Round-Group C-Match 23 between China and Brazil of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games football event at QHD Stadium in Qinhuangdao, an Olympic co-host city in north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 13, 2008. Brazil beat China 3-0. (Xinhua/Guo Yong) Photo Gallery>>>

    Brazil's Neves Thiago then extended their lead in the awarded free kick with his left-foot shot. The goalkeeper Liu didn't make any response to the shot.

    In the 73rd minute, Thiago again enlarged the victory with a left-foot low shot from outside the penalty box.

    "China should have played more aggressively in front of their home crowds," Brazilian head coach, Dunga, said at the post-match press conference. He was a key defensive midfielder for the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 World Cup.

    The only threat from the Chinese side came in the 37th minute in the first half, when Jiang Ning dodged Brazil's defenders and struck from the left side of the penalty box, but his effort was warded off by defender Silva Thiago's outstretched right foot.

    "This is not a normal match for us, as three of our four defenders were suspended due to yellow-card accumulations and red-card suspensions," Chinese head coach Yin Tiesheng said.

    "Indeed our players are far behind the Brazilians in terms of techniques, tactics as well as physical abilities. We just wanted to give them more punches and pressures, and I believe we already did it," he said.

    "If we could finish our shots better, we could have threatened their goalmouth," he said.

    After three group matches, China got only 1 point and stood at the bottom in the group.

    "I don't want to make any excuses for our loss," Chinese captain Li Weifeng said. "This is the end of our Olympic tournament, but this is not the end of our football."

    "I hope we could give more tolerances and time to Chinese football, so that our younger players would play better in the future," he said.

Li Weifeng (L) of China vies for the ball during Men's First Round-Group C-Match 23 between China and Brazil of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games football event at QHD Stadium in Qinhuangdao, an Olympic co-host city in north China's Hebei Province, Aug. 13, 2008. Brazil beat China 3-0. (Xinhua/Gong Zhihong) Photo Gallery>>>