China lost 1-0 to South Korea in an Asian qualifier on Tuesday but kept their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup alive by a narrow margin.
Thailand needed to beat Singapore by three goals but won 3-1, sending China through to the third qualifying round.
South Korea finished the second round of continental qualifiers at the top of Group C and are on track to qualify for an 11th consecutive World Cup.
Of the 18 Asian teams that advance to the next stage, six will automatically qualify for the World Cup, two more will earn direct entry into the World Cup from the fourth stage of Asian qualifiers, and one will advance to an intercontinental playoff for a place in the global competition.
In front of 65,000 spectators at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Lee Kang-in opened the scoring in the 61st minute, after Tottenham star Son Heung-min’s cross found the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder who fired a low shot from near the penalty spot.
“We managed to stop China from creating dangerous chances,” Son said. “No game is perfect, but we were patient and took advantage of our chances to win. Of course, we could have won by a bigger margin, but overall everyone did a great job.”
China needed a draw or better to secure second place in the group and would have to wait and hope that Singapore could avoid a three-point defeat in Bangkok.
China’s only previous appearance in the Men’s World Cup was in 2002, which was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.
At Rajamangala Stadium, Supanat Muangta put the team ahead in the first half before Iksan Fandi scored the equaliser just before the 60th minute.
Thailand led 3-1 with goals from Poramet Arjivilai and Jaronsak Wongorn but were unable to score the crucial fourth goal.
“I am disappointed that we did not make it through to the next round,” Supanat said. “I owe an apology to all football fans and the Thai people… We had plenty of chances.”
There was heartbreak for the Indian team too, who needed a win against Group A leaders Qatar to progress but lost 2-1 in Doha after scoring the opening goal. Kuwait scored 1-0 against Afghanistan in the 81st minute to move into second place with seven points from six games.
Earlier, in a match between the teams who had already secured first and second place in Group I, Australia defeated Palestine 5-0 in Perth, improving to six wins from six matches and a goal difference of 22-0.
Australia forward Kusini Yengi scored two goals, including a controversial penalty kick, in the opening minutes of the match. Palestine TeamThen 18-year-old Nestry Irankunda sealed the victory with a penalty kick in the final minutes.
A crowd of 18,261 turned out for the match in the Western Australian capital, but the Palestinian supporters were louder than the Australian fans.
Indonesia advanced to the finals in Group F with a 2-0 win over the Philippines.
North Korea took advantage of Syria’s 5-0 loss to Japan, who had not conceded a goal in six matches, to beat Myanmar 4-1 and finish second in Group B.
Oman and Kyrgyzstan advanced from Group D. Iran and Uzbekistan also advanced to the third round, which begins in September, along with Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Jordan came from behind to beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 to top Group G.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
