Japan hammers China; Australia stunned in World Cup qualifiers

Japan maintains perfect start to final round of qualifying

Japan kept their perfect start to the final round of Asian qualifying for the 2022 World Cup intact with a 1-0 win over China on Thursday, while Australia suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia.

Yuya Osako scored the winning goal for Japan in the 40th minute, heading home a cross from Takumi Minamino after a mistake by China goalkeeper Yan Junling.

The win leaves Japan top of Group B with nine points from three games, while China are bottom with zero points.

Australia stunned by Saudi Arabia

Australia's hopes of reaching the World Cup for a fifth consecutive time were dealt a blow as they were stunned by Saudi Arabia in Sydney.

Salem Al-Dawsari scored the only goal of the game in the 65th minute, curling a shot into the top corner from the edge of the area.

The defeat leaves Australia third in Group B with three points from three games, while Saudi Arabia are second with six points.

Other results

In other Group B matches, Oman beat Vietnam 3-1 and Iraq drew 0-0 with Syria.

In Group A, Iran beat Lebanon 2-1 and South Korea beat Turkmenistan 5-0.