BUSAN, Oct 1: Veteran Ali Daei helped defending champions Iran move towards the quarterfinals at the Asian Games soccer competition Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Lebanon, while North Korea thrashed Pakistan 5-0 and Kuwait beat Hong Kong 1-0.

However, Afghanistan slumped to an 11-0 defeat against Qatar as their baptism of fire continued on their return to the international game after the collapse of the Taliban regime.

Japan enjoyed a 5-2 victory over Bahrain and need just a point from their final group match against Uzbekistan, who beat Palestine 2-0, to reach the quarterfinals.

Iran, who thrashed Afghanistan 10-0 in their opening group E match, are also a point away from the last eight after battling to beat the Lebanese, who drew their first match 1-1 with Qatar.

Qatar must now beat Iran to make sure of progressing.

Iran’s 33-year-old striker Daei used all his experience as one of three over-age players allowed to play in the under-23 team and managed to break the deadlock against the Lebanese.

After a goalless first half, striker Javad Kazemeyan was brought down inside the area nine minutes into the second period by defender Faissal Antar and Daei slotted the penalty home.

Iran continued to press and were rewarded just after the hour mark when Saeid Lotfi’s corner on the left deceived goalkeeper Abdou Tafei and found the net.

Iran defender Jalal Kameli Mofrad hit the bar with a powerful header from 15 metres on 79 minutes and Daei repeated the feat with a curling free kick five minutes from time.

Afghanistan’s return to the international stage continued to be a mixed blessing as they crashed 11-0 to Qatar partly due to some awful goalkeeping by Jamshed and his replacement Mohammad Sadiq, who between them were at fault for at least three goals.

Qatar centre forward Sayd Ali Bechir struck a first-half hat trick with goals in the 26th, 28th and 43rd minutes, while striker Mohamed G. Alblooshi and midfielder Abdulrahman Bilal Abuhamda also got on the scoresheet after 31 and 34 minutes.

Fawaz Daoud al Khater added another five minutes into the second half before Saghayer Mufleh Alshammari scored on 64 minutes with a diving header from just outside the six-metre box that squeezed under Jamshed’s despairing dive.

After Bechir got his fourth and Qatar’s eighth on 68 minutes the Afghanistan goalkeeper was put out of his misery.

The luckless Jamshed’s replacement Mohammad Sadiq fared little better, however, as forward Rasoul Waleed Hamaza put the ball past him from the penalty spot four minutes later.

A minute after that Abuhamda grabbed his second goal with a long-range shot that Sadiq let slip under his body.

The substitute goalkeeper was then left rooted to the spot as midfielder Abdulmajid Wesam Rizik struck a shot from a distance that flew into the net to make it 11-0.

Afghanistan’s plight has not been helped by their failure to bring more experienced players since coach Mir Ali Asghar was unaware he could have included over-age players in his squad.

North Korea thrashed Pakistan with an impressive second-half performance after Jon Chol had given them the lead in the first period. Goals from Rim Kun U, Kim Yong Su, Jon and Kim again gave the country’s women cheerleaders plenty to shout about.

The North Koreans, who beat Hong Kong 2-1 in their opening game, are level on six points with Kuwait who they must beat in their final group F match to guarantee a quarterfinal spot.

Kuwait followed their 6-0 thrashing of Pakistan with a hard-fought victory over Hong Kong thanks to a goal from defender Bashar A Abdulaziz after 12 minutes. Kuwait need just a draw against North Korea to progress on goal difference.

Japan were much more convincing in their group D victory over Bahrain than they had been in their 2-0 win over Palestine.

First-half goals from midfielder Yoshito Okobo in the 16th and 40th minutes and others from strikers Satoshi Nakayama on 19 minutes and Daisuke Matsui after 26 assured them of victory.

Bahrain fought back with two goals early in the second half but substitute midfielder Tatsuya Tanaka’s left-foot shot from just outside the penalty area secured the victory.

Uzbekistan bounced back from a 3-0 defeat to Bahrain with a 2-0 win over Palestine, who had lost their opener 2-0 to Japan, in torrential rain in Changwon.

Midfielder Renat Bayramov put Uzbekistan ahead on the half-hour mark with a right-foot shot and Bahromjon Haydarov scored with a diving header on the stroke of halftime.

The six group winners plus the best two runners-up qualify for the quarterfinals.—Reuters

Japan 5 Bahrain 2

Uzbekistan 2 Palestine 0

Afghanistan 0 Qatar 11

Iran 2 Lebanon 0

Hong Kong 0 Kuwait 1

North Korea 5 Pakistan 0