Bhutan must be regretting ever beating Sri Lanka earlier this year as the Asian nation fell to another brutal defeat in World Cup qualifying, losing 12-0 to China.
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Asian champions Australia struck three past Kyrgyzstan and South Korea notched four against Myanmar as the continent’s elite enjoyed another straight forward night in World Cup qualifying on Thursday.
Hong Kong kept its hopes alive with a 1-0 win in the Maldives and hosts China in Group C on November 17.
When South Korea try to extend their winning streak in the regional World Cup qualification against Laos next Tuesday, they will have to do so without midfielder Koo Ja-cheol. Jang Hyun-soo headed in Korea’s third goal off Son Heung-min’s free kick in the 82nd minute, making up for his missed penalty kick in the first half.
In the current tournament set-up, only the top team of each group and the four best runners-up will advance to the final round of the qualifiers.
Skipper Mile Jedinak scored the opener in Canberra Thursday from the penalty spot as the Socceroos, led by an impressive display from Aaron Mooy, showed no hangover from last month’s loss to Jordan in Amman.
Cheered on by more than 25,000 home fans at the Helong Stadium, Mei Fang opened the scoring for China in the 10th minute, before Yang Xu found the back of the net four times (13′, 21′, 38′, 53′) to take his tally to seven in the World Cup qualifiers.
Yemen topped the Philippines 1-0, Afghanistan defeated Cambodia 3-0, and Tajikistan accounted for Bangladesh 5-0.
In Group A, United Arab Emirates put pressure on Saudi Arabia with an 8-0 win over Timor Leste while Malaysian woes continued after losing 6-0 to the Palestinian team.
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An unstoppable 55th-minute drive by Helder Pelembe from just outside the box earned the Mozambican Mambas (Snakes) a 1-0 victory over Gabon at Estadio Zimpeto in Maputo.
