Tottenham's in-form Son leads South Korea over Qatar in World Cup qualifying
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Tottenham forward Son Heung-min scored the winner as South Korea rallied for a 3-2 comeback victory over Qatar in Asian qualifying for the World Cup.
Son curled in a shot in the 58th minute for his sixth goal in six games.
Swansea midfielder Ki Seung-yeung had put South Korea ahead in the 11th minute Thursday, but Qatar got goals from Hasan Al Haydos and Sebastian Soria to lead 2-1 at halftime.
Ji Dong-won equalized in the 56th, two minutes before Son scored the winner.
South Korea again! 3-2 now! They take the lead and go top on goal difference! Tottenham's Son with the goal and dab! #roadtorussia pic.twitter.com/SBs2uTztCP
— Eli (@ElMengem) October 6, 2016
South Korea has seven points from three games in Group A, while Qatar is last with no points after three losses.
The top two teams in Groups A and B will qualify automatically for the World Cup, with the two third-place teams playing off for a spot in an intercontinental qualifier.
CHINA 0, SYRIA 1
China's hopes of qualification for the first time since 2002 had a major setback with a 1-0 defeat against Syria in Xian. Mahmoud Al Mawas scored the only goal of the game after 54 minutes.
China has just one point from the first three games in Group A. Syria moves up to fourth spot with four points.
JAPAN 2, IRAQ 1
Hotaru Yamaguchi scored five minutes into injury time to secure Japan's 2-1 win over Iraq in Group B.
Genki Haraguchi had put Japan ahead in the first half at Saitama Stadium, but Saad Adbulameer equalized o the hour.
It was Japan's second straight win, giving the team six points from three matches. Iraq has lost all three of its group matches.