HONG KONG, Sept 8: Newly-crowned Asian champions Japan stayed on course for the 2006 World Cup in convincing fashion while South Korea were made to struggle in Wednesday's qualifying matches.

Japan preserved their 100 percent record in Group 3 with a 4-0 victory over India while the Koreans, semifinalists at the last World Cup, recovered from 1-0 down and an early sending-off to beat Vietnam 2-1.

Lowly India, still smarting from their 7-0 drubbing in the first leg in June, held the Japanese until the last minute of the first half in Calcutta when Takayuki Suzuki opened the scoring.

But the visitors dominated the second half with Shinji Ono, Takashi Fukunishi and Tsuneyasu Miyamoto all getting on the score-sheet. Meanwhile a late free-kick from Lee Chun-Soo spared South Korea's blushes as the World Cup 2002 semi-finalists recovered from a goal down and a first-half red card to beat Vietnam 2-1.

Cha Du-Ri's sending-off and a series of defensive blunders made for uncomfortable first-half viewing for recently appointed coach Jo Bonfrere but worse was to come as Park Jae-Hong directed a Tai Em shot into his own net soon after the break.

RESULTS

Laos 1 Qatar 6

Taiwan 1 Iraq 4

India 0 Japan 4

Singapore 0 Oman 2

Malaysia 0 China 1

Hong Kong 0 Kuwait 2

North Korea 4 Thailand 1

Yemen 3 UAE 1

Kyrgyzstan 1 Bahrain 2

Tajikistan 0 Syria 1

Vietnam 1 South Korea 2

Maldives 2 Lebanon 5

Sri Lanka 0 Indonesia 2

Turkmenistan 0 S. Arabia 1. -AFP