Their goal is to "put a smile on Syrian faces." The country has been ravaged by a five-year civil war, but its footballers are doing their best to inspire hope. The "Qasioun Eagles" kickstarted their bid to qualify for the World Cup for the first time with a surprise victory away to China on Thursday. Mahmoud Al-Mawas' second-half goal secured a 1-0 victory in Xi'an -- Syria's first win of round three in Asian qualifying for the 2018 tournament in Russia. The 23-year-old latched onto Ahmad Al Salih's pass to round the goalkeeper and roll the ball into an empty net as China slipped to its first World Cup qualifying defeat on home soil since 2011. Syria's players ran over to the corner flag and sunk to their knees in joy and prayer, as the goal silenced the home crowd in the 50,000-capacity stadium. With a population of 1.3 billion, China is considered one of Asian football's sleeping giants and has ambitions of one day hosting and winning a World Cup.