The Chinese dominated against the United Arab Emirates to record a comfortable 3-0 win but the wily (老谋深算的)Serb (塞尔维亚人)was cautious as his side prepared to leave for the Middle East.

"It's only one win and just three points," said the four-time World Cup coach. "There's still along way to go but the team played very cleverly tonight.

"We won tonight for the fans. The fans' support is very important and it's very important to leave on a good note."

Li Xiaopeng, Qi Hong and Hao Haidong all scored during a first half in which the UAE were overpowered by the Chinese but it was Li's opener after just two minutes that set Milutinovic's side on the way to collecting the three points.

"They destroyed our plans with the first goal in the second minute," said UAE coach Abdullah Saqr. "They broke our concentration and in the first half we didn't create anything.

"China played well in the first half and then played more carefully in the second half."

That was an opinion shared by Milutinovic, who is seeking a place at a record-breaking fifth World Cup finals while China are hoping to appear at their first.

"The UAE are a strong side and in the second half the two teams were at the same level," he said. "We are very satisfied with the performance in the first half but disappointed with the second half."

Li gave the Chinese the lead after two minutes and, in the 19th minute, Qi made it 2-0 with a header from 12 yards out. Hao Haidong scored China's third 12 minutes before the interval from close range as they killed off any suggestion of pre-game nerves or hopes of an Emirates' comeback.

While China prepare to take on Oman, the Emirates return to Abu Dhabi, where they will face Qatar next Friday.

(www.asian-football.com)