Islamic Republic of Iran and Korea Republic - who had skipper Son Heung-min scoring his 50th international goal - tightened their grips on automatic spots to the FIFA World Cup 2026 with wins over DPR Korea and Kuwait respectively.

Uzbekistan and Bahrain suffered late defeats while Australia and Saudi Arabia settled for a goalless draw in their Group C encounter.

Japan, who meet Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday, will move seven points clear at the top of Group C with a win against the Southeast Asian side.

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