DOHA, Qatar – Yousef Ahmed scored in the 27th minute and added a goal in first-half injury time, giving Qatar a 2-0 win over China on Wednesday night that boosted the host's chances of advancing to the second round of the Asian Cup.
In the other Group A game, Uzbekistan defeated Kuwait 2-1 on Masim Shatskikh's goal on a free kick in the 41st minute and Server Djeparov's go-ahead goal in the 64th. Bader al-Mutwa had tied the score with a penalty kick in the 48th after Walied Ali was brought down.
Uzbekistan (2-0) leads the group with six points, followed by China and Qatar (both 1-1). Kuwait (0-2 is last.
In the final first-round games of the group on Sunday, Qatar plays Kuwait, and China faces Uzbekistan.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.