BEIJING, Jan. 4 -- China is ready for a must-win opener at the upcoming Asian Cup and determined to enter the knockout stage for the first time since 2004.

After conceding an early goal against Oman in Australia on Saturday, China fought back to win the tuneup match 4-1, which was their last warmup match before the Group B opener on Jan. 10 in Brisbane.

"I'm happy to see we won the first match in 2015," said the French head coach Alan Perrin after the victory, adding that his side "is ready for the opening match".

Grouped with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and DPR Korea, China will firstly fight to beat the West Asian opponent for a driving seat as Perrin has pointed it as a must-win game.

"The first game is the most crucial one. If we want to qualify for the knockout stage we must beat our first opponent," said the Frenchman two months ago in China.

However, it is not an easy task for Chinese national football team.

Since the 1-0 hard-won victory in World Cup qualification in 1997, China has never defeated Saudi Arabia so far, including the recent one defeat and one draw in the qualifiers for the 2015 Asian Cup, which will open on January. 9.

The following matches are also tough ones. Uzbekistan took the upper hand in the group battles of the past two editions, when they stopped China's journey to last-eight twice with one win and one draw respectively, leaving the opponent keeping underachieving with their worst results for this continental competition.

DPR Korea, despite losing to China in recent-year friendlies, succeeded to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals, proving they are much more experienced at big stage.

While China, who is the only side having failed to enter the last-round World Cup qualifying matches since 2002, must realize the fact that they could be regarded as the underdog team in the group to beat for points by the other three teams. That means China will need to deliver more than their best to meet Perrin's target.

Though most Chinese fans are not optimistic about the breakthrough, Perrin kept a positive attitude. The former Lyon boss even believed his side had strengths to top the group for promotion. "The players are ready to give the best they can," said the coach.

Perrin is China's eighth foreign coach in history following a search to replace Spaniard Jose Antonio Camacho, who was sacked after a humiliating 5-1 defeat by Thailand last June.

Since taking the post, Perrin gradually convinced the players with ten games unbeaten in a row. However, he clearly knew the good results from friendlies couldn't prove they can play the same level in big tournament.

"Today we got a big victory, but it was just a warm-up. It is different from a real match. I also knew China usually played better in warm-ups," said he.

The concern should alert the Chinese players. Affected by the lower competitive level of the domestic league, China always found it hard to seize a foothold in midfield facing their opponent's high-pressing surge.

Zheng Zhi, the 2013 Asian Player of the Year, can bolster the midfield with his nearly three season experience at the English club Charlton Athletic. But he could be specially marked by one or two from the opponent, which means China need a "Plan B" to move the ball fast from the back four to the front. That is a tough test.

Apart form 34-year-old veteran, Perrin gave more chances to new faces in his 23-man squad, which is aged averagely only 24.4, the youngest in Asian Cup history for Chinese national team.

The roster also includes the winger Hao Junmin, who made 14 league appearances for Germany's Schalke 04 between 2010 and 2011. He could support the strikers with his movement and pass from the flank.

The recombined central defence is another test for China. Feng Xiaoting, the first-choice centre-back, failed to convince Perrin to get an Australia ticket. His partner, Zhang Linpeng, needs to pair with Ren Hang or some other young defender to lead the back line. Time is not short for them to accommodate each other.

Despite they are not the favorite, Chinese players are eager to prove themselves. To fight for every 90 minutes is what they want.

"Keeping a low profile to fight for every match," said the winger Yu Hai, who was placed as the lone target man and scored in the warm-up victory on Saturday. "In this kind of tournament, each match is a do-or-die battle. We need to fight one by one."