Hong Kong narrowly beaten by Iraq; China win

Hong Kong were beaten 1-0 by Iraq in their penultimate World Cup qualifier in the early hours of Saturday, with a 13th minute goal by Mohammad Qasem enough to seal three points for the Group C leaders in Bahrain.

Mixu Paatelainen’s men set up with a defensive gameplan that was largely undone by the early strike, but they still defended manfully to keep Iraq from adding to their tally.

Hong Kong end their campaign against Bahrain in the early hours of Wednesday morning. They’re guaranteed to finish fourth in the five-strong group but will be hoping to get a result to reduce their risk of facing a play-off to continue in qualifying for the 2023 Asian Cup.

Earlier, Iran hammered Cambodia 10-0 for their fifth win in seven matches to keep their battle with Iraq going in their quest for top spot in Group C.

Australia marched into the third and final phase of Asian qualifying after a 3-0 win over Nepal saw them comfortably top Group B with a game to spare on Friday.

In Group A, China boosted their chances of getting to the final qualifying round with a 5-0 win over the Maldives. China will finish second in the group and hope to be one of five runners-up to make it through to the 12-strong final round. They play group leaders Syria on Wednesday.

Elsewhere, Kyrgyzstan thrashed Myanmar 8-1 to go second behind Japan in Group F while the Philippines outclassed Guam 3-0.