SINGAPORE — Mighty Iran was sent spinning to its first ever defeat to outsider Lebanon, while Japan strengthened its iron grip on World Cup qualifying Group B Tuesday. In another upset Jordan beat Australia 2-1 in Amman. As Japan beat Iraq 1-0 in Saitama, Group A leader South Korea was held to a pulsating 2-2 draw by Uzbekistan. But the night's biggest shock belonged to Lebanon, which had Shandong Luneng midfielder Roda Antar to thank for a famous 1-0 win over Iran that raised hopes of an unlikely World Cup berth. In the 28th minute in Beirut, China-based Antar rose to head home a free-kick, a goal that proved enough to lift Lebanon off the foot of Group A and put it three points behind pace-setters South Korea. The top two teams from two groups of five gain automatic entry to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, while the two third-placed countries will go into a playoff series. Japan was hit by the late withdrawal of Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa with a lower back twinge, and it weathered an early storm from a makeshift Iraq side marshaled by former Blue Samurai coach Zico. But the host earned the crucial breakthrough when Stuttgart's Shinji Okazaki fed Jubilo Iwata striker Ryoichi Maeda in the six-yard box to nod home the game's only goal on 25 minutes. The dangerous Ahmed Yaseen extended Japan keeper Eiji Kawashima with a goal-bound shot but the host looked more comfortable after the break, with CSKA Moscow playmaker Keisuke Honda a particular threat. “We want to win the ticket to the World Cup as quickly as possible,” said coach Alberto Zaccheroni. “I'm going to start thinking about our next game,” he added. Japan, seeking its fifth consecutive World Cup appearance, has 10 points from its first four games, including earlier wins against Jordan and Oman and a 1-1 away draw with Australia. Japan is not in action again until Nov. 14, when it is away against Oman. Kagawa, meanwhile, gave assurances that his back strain, sustained during training, was “not that serious” and should not keep him out for long. Meanwhile, in Tashkent, host Uzbekistan took a valuable point from its game with Group A pace-setters South Korea, which ended 2-2 after a frenetic 90 minutes. Uzbekistan snatched the early lead when Ki Sung-yeung headed into his own net, but 2002 World Cup semifinalist South Korea got back on terms just before half-time through a header by skipper Kwak Tae-hwi. Veteran striker Lee Dong-gook fired the visitors ahead in the 57th minute but Sanjar Tursunov headed Uzbekistan's equalizer two minutes later to ensure that the points were shared. Although South Korea dropped points for the first time in the final qualifying round, it remained top of Group A with seven points from three games. Uzbekistan, however, still has plenty of work to do if it hopes to qualify for its first World Cup as it remains winless with only two points from the same number of matches. NZ beats Solomons New Zealand asserted its superiority in the Oceania confederation when it beat the Solomon Islands 6-1 Tuesday in regional qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. — Agencies
