Australia, South Korea post single-goal wins in World Cup qualifiers

SEOUL: Australia edged Vietnam 1-0 in Hanoi on Tuesday to make it two wins out of two in Group B of Asia World Cup qualifying.
In Group A, South Korea defeated Lebanon 1-0 at Suwon World Cup Stadium to pick up their first win of the stage, after 0-0 against Iraq five days earlier.
Rhyan Grant ran to the far post to steer in a header after 43 minutes in an empty My Dinh Stadium. His first international goal kept the Socceroos on track for a fifth successive World Cup appearance.
Vietnam is making their first appearance at this stage of qualifying but had chances, including a VAR review for a possible penalty against Grant’s handball before the visitors took the lead.
In humid conditions and on a difficult playing surface, Vietnam pushed for a point but couldn’t find a way past Mat Ryan in the Australia goal. Mitchell Duke looked to have sealed the win with a low shot four minutes from the end but the goal was ruled out for offside.
South Korea’s campaign to appear at a 10th successive World Cup was hit by the late withdrawal of Son Heung-min. The Tottenham Hotspur star injured a calf in training on Monday and was deemed unfit to play.
Without Son, South Korea struggled against Lebanon goalkeeper Mostafa Matar. The deadlock was broken only on the hour, when Kwon Chang-hoon shot past Matar from close range.
“I’m happy to have scored a goal for the national team, and honored to have done it at the Big Bird,” Kwon told reporters, referring to the Suwon World Cup Stadium, where his club is based.
The first half ended in goalless, mostly thanks to Lebanese goalkeeper Mostafa Matar, who turned in a shift to repeatedly deny Korean attackers.
Lebanon almost equalized in the dying moments, but their attack was cleared by Korean midfielder Son Jun-ho.
There are two groups of six nations in the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
South Korea and Lebanon are joined in Group A by Iran, Syria, UAE and Iraq.