Saudi Arabia moved closer to a spot in the fourth round of Asian World Cup qualifying after beating Lebanon 2-1 at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on Saturday. A second-half double from Redha Tukar kept the Kingdom in second place in Group D standings and one point away from joining Uzbekistan in the fourth and final round. Uzbekistan was first to qualify from the Group after recording a 1-0 victory against Singapore in Tashkent. With the match shifted to the Saudi capital because of security concerns in Lebanon, the Saudis took full advantage and went ahead two minutes after the break. Tukar struck again at the hour mark and Mohamad Ghaddar pulled one back for bottom side Lebanon in stoppage time. Although the Kingdom won the first-leg match 4-1 at the same venue last week their performance came under a lot of criticism. On Saturday the Saudis put up a better show. They started brightly and almost went ahead in the 10th minute when Saud Kariri's long shot just missed the Lebanon bar. Saudi Arabia threatened again in the 24th minute when Nasser Al-Shamrani's shy at the goal was converted by Lebanon goalkeeper Larry Muhana into a corner. Saudi Arabia, which is eyeing a spot at its fifth Finals, needs only a draw against Singapore on June 14 to advance to the next round. The Kingdom also faces the group leader Uzbekistan in Riyadh on June 22. Four Asian teams will earn places at South Africa 2010, with the fifth-placed side entering a playoff with the Oceania winners for another berth. While Uzbekistan advanced, heavyweights Iran and Iraq rekindled their hopes with vital wins. Bahrain dropped points for the first time, held 1-1 by Thailand, which deprived it of the chance to join the Uzbeks. The Gulf side needs only one draw from its last two games to advance. Iran and Iraq secured decisive 1-0 wins over the United Arab Emirates and Australia respectively to breathe life into their South Africa 2010 campaigns but China's hopes took a major dent when it lost 1-0 to Qatar. A coolly taken spot-kick by Uruguayan-born Sebastian Quintana after 14 minutes left the goal-shy Chinese in third place with a mountain to climb in their remaining two matches. South Korea clung on to its narrow Group 3 lead with a 1-0 victory over Jordan and in Group 2, recent World Cup regulars Japan salvaged a 1-1 draw with Oman to stay second. Iran got itself out of trouble when Ferydoon Zandi netted after eight minutes and a superbly taken goal from Emad Rida gave Asian Cup holder Iraq a crucial win over Australia in its must-win match in Dubai. Choe Kum-chol struck in the 72nd minute to lift North Korea to a 1-0 win over Turkmenistan to hold on to second place in their group, trailing fierce foe South Korea on goal difference. Yasuhito Endo's equalizer eight minutes after the break and a vital penalty save from goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki spared Japan's blushes in another unconvincing performance away from home, turning up the pressure on coach Takeshi Okada. – With input from Agencies __
