Lebanese players celebrate after beating South Korea Lebanon stunned South Korea 2-1 on Tuesday as Australia scrambled into the last stage of Asia's 2014 World Cup qualifying with a narrow victory over Thailand. Iran thumped Indonesia 4-1 to move within sight of the next round, while China kept alive their flickering hopes and North Korea upset Japan in a spiteful match loaded with political tensions.
Lebanon had been smashed 6-0 by South Korea, ranked 115 places higher, in September but they seized the initiative in Beirut when Ali Al Saadi pounced on a loose ball from a free-kick in just the fourth minute of the match.
South Korea levelled through a Koo Ja-Cheol penalty but Abbas Ali Atwi's spot-kick 10 minutes later was to prove decisive.
The teams are now level on points at the top of Group B, but both will go through if Kuwait fail to beat UAE later.SINGAPORE (AFP) - (AFP) - Lebanon stunned South Korea 2-1 on Tuesday as Australia scrambled into the last stage of Asia's 2014 World Cup qualifying with a narrow victory over Thailand.
Iran thumped Indonesia 4-1 to move within sight of the next round, while China kept alive their flickering hopes and North Korea upset Japan in a spiteful match loaded with political tensions.
Lebanon had been smashed 6-0 by South Korea, ranked 115 places higher, in September but they seized the initiative in Beirut when Ali Al Saadi pounced on a loose ball from a free-kick in just the fourth minute of the match.
South Korea levelled through a Koo Ja-Cheol penalty but Abbas Ali Atwi's spot-kick 10 minutes later was to prove decisive.
The teams are now level on points at the top of Group B, but both will go through if Kuwait fail to beat UAE later.
In Bangkok, Brett Holman's second-half header was enough to give Australia a scrappy win and take them through with 12 points from five games, joining already qualified Japan, Jordan and Uzbekistan.
But it was far from the majestic procession earlier promised by Australia, who won their first three games -- including a last-gasp home victory over Thailand -- but came badly unstuck with Friday's 0-1 shock against Oman.
A near-capacity crowd at Supachalasai National Stadium, used instead of the normal Rajamangala venue which is occupied by refugees from Bangkok's crippling floods, provided vocal support as Thailand shaded the first half.
But with 15 minutes to go, a cross from former Blackburn man Brett Emerton on the right found Holman unmarked six yards out and he made no mistake with the header.
It was a different story in Jakarta as goals from Milad Meydavoodi, Mojtaba Jabbari and Gholamreza Rezaei put Iran out of sight within 25 minutes. Javad Nekounam wrapped it up with a 73rd minute penalty.
Iran will go through to the next stage later on Tuesday if Bahrain cannot beat Qatar.
China's hopes are remote but they gave themselves the best possible chance with a 4-0 victory in Singapore, thanks in large part to a late Zheng Zheng double.
Yu Hai and Li Weifeng were the other scorers and the win by China, led by ex-Real Madrid coach Jose Antonio Camacho, came despite a straight red card to Huang Bowen for violent conduct.
However, China's good work will be for nought if 2007 Asian champions Iraq can take one point from their last two games -- against already qualified Jordan later on Tuesday, and eliminated Singapore on February 29.
In Pyongyang, North Korea defiantly downed bitter rivals Japan with the only goal of a game which yielded nine yellow cards and one sending-off in an electric atmosphere at Kim Il Sung Stadium.
Pak Nam Chol's 50th-minute header avenged North Korea's September defeat in Tokyo and sparked delirious scenes from the packed crowd, which had roundly booed the former colonialists' national anthem.
But North Korea's first qualifying win came too late to save their campaign, which was killed off last week by Uzbekistan, while Asian champions Japan were already through to the last round with 10 points from their first three games.
And the match was a bad-tempered affair with Bahraini referee Nawaf Shukralla showing eight yellow cards to North Korean players including two for Jong Il Gwan, who was dismissed for his second caution on 77 minutes.
Near the hour-mark, tensions had threatened to boil over when both sides squared up for a tense argument, although there was no violence.
"It was a physical match in a tough environment," Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni told Japanese broadcaster TBS.
"I suppose our opponents were also feeling pressure for this match against Japan. Their spirit might have showed in the number of yellow cards they received," he said.
The top two teams from each of five groups reach the final stage, a round-robin where four tickets to Brazil are up for grabs along with a shot at an intercontinental play-off.