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Asian World Cup qualifying round-up

Image: Bresciano: Late winner

Australia left it late to beat Bahrain 1-0 in their World Cup qualifier.

Bresciano rescues Australia

Australia left it late to beat Bahrain 1-0 in their World Cup qualifier. Mark Bresciano scored the only goal of the game three minutes into injury-time to break Bahrain's hearts. The win maintains Australia's 100 per cent record in Group One and extends their lead at the top of the table. In the other game in Group One, Japan boosted their qualifying hopes with a 3-0 win over Qatar. Tatsuya Tanaka gave Japan the lead on 19 minutes and Keiji Tamada added a second two minutes after the break. Tulio Tanaka put the game beyond Qatar with Japan's third on 67 minutes to keep them on course for the 2010 World Cup. South Korea moved top of Group Two with a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia were always facing an uphill battle from the moment Naif Hazazi was sent off for a second bookable offence just before the hour mark. South Korea made their numerical advantage count on 77 minutes when Lee Keun Ho broke the deadlock and they made the game safe in the final minute courtesy of Park Chu Young's strike. Also in Group Two, Karim Bagheri's late goal earned Iran a 1-1 draw with basement boys United Arab Emirates. UAE looked to be on their way to a first win in qualifying when Abdulraheem Jumaa gave them the lead after 20 minutes, but Bagheri's 81st minute strike spared Iran's blushes.

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