Iran, warming up for this Saturday's vital qualifier against North Korea with a full-strength squad, were upset by Gao Lin's 47-minute goal at the
Qinhuangdao Olympic Stadium, the first loss to China in 15 years.
"The 1-0 result was unfair for us," Ghotbi told reporters. "I hope the referees from China will treat us better in our next match in North Korea, not like today."
Chinese officials are scheduled to oversee the North Korea-Iran match in Pyongyang, which the visitors have to win to prevent elimination.