Al Mawas was joined on the scoresheet by Aias Aosman as Nabil Maaloul’s side effectively wrapped up the three points inside the first half to move eight points clear of second-placed China PR at the summit of Group A.

A win in their next game – against already-eliminated Guam on Monday – will ensure Syria finish in first place in the group and advance to the next phase of the competition.

Mahmoud Al Mawas scored a hat-trick – which included two penalties – as the Syrians notched up their sixth win in a row in Group A to stand eight points clear of second-placed China PR.

That result means a win over Guam on Monday in Sharjah will be enough to qualify the Syrians for the next phase of the preliminaries and also earn them a berth at the Finals of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

An entertaining opening half at Goyang Stadium saw Sri Lanka go in front through Waseem Razeek before Lebanon replied immediately after with goals from Joan Oumari and Mohamad Kdouh, and then took a 3-1 lead into the interval when Oumari added his second on the stroke of half-time.

Razeek netted from the spot just after the hour to pull Sri Lanka back into the game but they were unable to complete the comeback for their first point in Group H as Lebanon survived a scare to pick up the victory.

The hosts took an early lead through Hwang Ui-jo before dominating proceedings, but they only managed to add a second in first-half stoppage time through Nam Tae-hee.

Kim Young-gwon made it three as the hour approached before a deserved goal from Kwon Chang-hoon and a second from Hwang rounded off the scoring as Korea Republic posted a resounding win to delight those in attendance at Goyang Stadium.

Singapore went into their tie against at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh targeting three points but were left undone by a 10-minute blitz in the first half which left them trailing 3-0, with Palestine adding a fourth five minutes from time.

The win saw Palestine leapfrog Singapore into third place on goal difference with both on seven points. Saudi Arabia lead with 11 points, Uzbekistan are two behind, while Yemen are bottom with five points.

Goals by forward Anjan Bista and substitute Nawayug Shrestha at the Jaber Al-Hamad International Stadium in Kuwait City secured Nepal their second win over Chinese Taipei as the South Asians ensured a fourth place finish in the group.

Bista had scored both goals when the two sides met earlier in the campaign, with Nepal also winning that tie 2-0.

The win gave Bahrain top spot in Group C with 12 points, one ahead of Iraq and three in front of Islamic Republic of Iran, who they meet on Monday.