SINGAPORE, Nov 18: Singapore held Tajikistan to a 1-1 draw in Dushanbe while

Thailand ground out a 1-0 victory at home over Yemen Sunday to book their places in the preliminary 2010 World Cup draw in South Africa next weekend.

But Hong Kong and Indonesia crashed out of contention with Turkmenistan and Syria securing the two final berths.

They join 11 Asian teams who had already qualified for the third round along with the top seeds from the region -- Australia, Japan, South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia -- who received byes.

At the draw in Durban the countries will be split into five groups of four teams with the winners and runners-up advancing to the fourth round of Asian qualifying.

It will culminate with four teams from Asia playing at the World Cup in 2010, with the region’s fifth-ranked team playing off against the top side from Oceania.

Singapore took a 2-0 advantage into their showdown with Tajikistan and dug in to ensure they made it to the preliminary draw for the first time.

The Tajiks grabbed the lead after just two minutes through Jamshed Ismailov but the Lions held firm, knowing they still had a one-goal cushion.

They pressed forward and were awarded when Noh Alam Shah gave them the equaliser after 27 minutes on a pitch that was rock-hard and devoid of grass in places.

At Bangkok’s Supachalasai stadium, Sarayoot Chaikamdee was the hero with his 15th minute strike proving decisive, allowing the Thais to go through 2-1 on aggregate.

But there was agony for Hong Kong as Turkmenistan eased to a 3-0 victory in Ashgabat for a 3-0 aggregate win, while Syria embarrassed Indonesia with a 7-0 thrashing in Damascus.

The other Asian teams through to the third round draw include Bahrain, China, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, UAE, and Uzbekistan.—AFP