Asia World Cup 2018 Qualifying Results: Thursday's Scores and Group Tables
Australia ran out easy 3-0 winners on Thursday against visiting Kyrgyzstan in their World Cup 2018 qualifier in Canberra.
Mile Jedinak and Tim Cahill were on the scoresheet for the Socceroos, and an own goal from Ildar Amirov provided the third as Australia made it 12 points from five matches in Group B of Asia qualifying.
China thumped Bhutan 12-0 in Group C, while Japan and Korea Republic both claimed comfortable wins over Singapore and Myanmar, respectively.
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Read on for the results and a full recap of Thursday's action in World Cup 2018 qualifying, along with the updated standings.
| Date | Fixture | Result |
| Nov. 12 | Australia vs. Kyrgyzstan | 3-0 |
| Nov. 12 | Maldives vs. Hong Kong | 0-1 |
| Nov. 12 | Korea Republic vs. Myanmar | 4-0 |
| Nov. 12 | Singapore vs. Japan | 0-3 |
| Nov. 12 | Iran vs. Turkmenistan | 3-1 |
| Nov. 12 | Afghanistan vs. Cambodia | 3-0 |
| Nov. 12 | China vs. Bhutan | 12-0 |
| Nov. 12 | Philippines vs. Yemen | 0-1 |
| Nov. 12 | Thailand vs. Chinese Taipei | 4-2 |
| Nov. 12 | Tajikistan vs. Bangladesh | 5-0 |
| Nov. 12 | Uzbekistan vs. Korea DPR | 3-1 |
| Nov. 12 | India vs. Guam | 1-0 |
| Nov. 12 | Palestine vs. Malaysia | 6-0 |
| Nov. 12 | UAE vs. Timor-Leste | 8-0 |
| Nov. 12 | Lebanon vs. Laos | 7-0 |
| Group A | |||||||||
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 13 |
| 2 | UAE | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 10 |
| 3 | Palestine | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 9 |
| 4 | Malaysia | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 26 | -24 | 4 |
| 5 | Timor-Leste | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 19 | -17 | 2 |
| Group B | |||||||||
| 1 | Jordan | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 13 |
| 2 | Australia | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 12 |
| 3 | Kyrgyzstan | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | +0 | 8 |
| 4 | Tajikistan | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 5 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 20 | -18 | 1 |
| Group C | |||||||||
| 1 | Qatar | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 | +22 | 15 |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 13 |
| 3 | China PR | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 1 | +20 | 10 |
| 4 | Maldives | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 14 | -10 | 3 |
| 5 | Bhutan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 45 | -42 | 0 |
| Group D | |||||||||
| 1 | Iran | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 11 |
| 2 | Oman | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 11 |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 7 |
| 4 | Guam | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 7 |
| 5 | India | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 12 | -8 | 3 |
| Group E | |||||||||
| 1 | Japan | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | +15 | 13 |
| 2 | Syria | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 | 12 |
| 3 | Singapore | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 10 |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 18 | -12 | 6 |
| 5 | Cambodia | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 19 | -18 | 0 |
| Group F | |||||||||
| 1 | Thailand | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 13 |
| 2 | Iraq | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 5 |
| 3 | Vietnam | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 4 | Chinese Taipei | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 0 |
| Group G | |||||||||
| 1 | Korea Republic | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | +18 | 15 |
| 2 | Kuwait | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 10 |
| 3 | Lebanon | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 10 |
| 4 | Myanmar | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | -15 | 4 |
| 5 | Laos | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 24 | -21 | 1 |
| Group H | |||||||||
| 1 | Korea DPR | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 13 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 12 |
| 3 | Philippines | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 7 |
| 4 | Bahrain | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | +0 | 6 |
| 5 | Yemen | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 11 | -10 | 3 |
Recap
Last time out, Australia went down 2-0 to Jordan, a blow in their attempts to qualify for 2018's tournament in Russia.
However, they returned to winning ways in Canberra. They almost made the ideal start after two minutes as Cahill volleyed the ball goalwards, but Pavel Matyash produced an excellent save to keep the affair goalless.
With the game at 0-0 as the break loomed, Nathan Burns was fouled in the area, and Jedinak dispatched the penalty with aplomb.
Things were still a little too close for comfort when the teams returned for the second half, but Cahill was on hand to double the hosts' lead on 50 minutes.
He was well-serviced by a terrific through ball from Aaron Mooy, and a typically neat finish from the former Everton forward saw the Socceroos move 2-0 up.
The third goal came from Mooy's curled corner as Amirov could only divert the ball into his own net, and only the excellent Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper prevented a complete drubbing for the visitors, per the Socceroos:
China's Yang Xu scored four goals as Bhutan were handed a brutal thrashing at the Helong Stadium in Changsha, China.
Mei Fang opened the scoring after 10 minutes, and Yu Dabao, Yu Hanchao and Wang Yongpo all netted doubles before Zhang Xizhe completed the rout with two minutes remaining.
AC Milan's Keisuke Honda was the star man for Japan as they ran out comfortable winners against Singapore.
Mu Kanazaki found the opener after 20 minutes to hand the visitors the initiative, and Honda doubled the lead six minutes later.
Southampton's Maya Yoshida put the finishing touch to a fine display as he netted in the 88th minute, firing home from close range after Shinji Kagawa's volley into the box.
The Japanese now sit top of Group E, their only dropped points having come at home to Singapore in a 0-0 draw.
