China lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in the third round of World Cup qualifiers for Asia.

China went ahead in the 14th minute in Dalian through an Ali Lajami own goal but failed to take advantage of Saudi midfielder Mohamed Kanno being red-carded a few minutes later.

Defender Hassan Kadish equalised with a header from a corner before half-time and repeated the feat in the 90th minute to spark wild celebrations from the visitors.

China fought hard against a side ranked almost 30 places above them in FIFA's world rankings and had a goal disallowed, but they remain rooted to the bottom of Group C.

The result is China's second straight defeat of their campaign after suffering a 7-0 loss against Japan. (Additional reporting from AFP)