XIAN, China (AP) China advanced to the final Asian qualifying round for the World Cup for the first time since 2002 after a 2-0 victory over Qatar on Tuesday.
Second-half goals in Xian from Huang Bowen and Wu Lei were enough to defeat the group leaders and send China through to the last 12 as one of the best four runners-up from the eight groups, as the second round of Asian qualification concluded.
China joins group winners Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Qatar and the other three best second-place teams United Arab Emirates, Syria and Iraq in the final stage for the 2018 tournament in Russia.