Goals from Hilal El Helwe and Nader Matar secured Lebanon the first victory of their FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 qualifying campaign, having lost 2-0 to DPR Korea last month.

Lebanon secured their first points in Group H, having suffered a 2-0 defeat to DPR Korea on Matchday One.

Turkmenistan fell to a second consecutive defeat, having lost 2-0 to Korea Republic after opening their campaign with a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka in September.

Kim Shin-wook starred with four goals, Son Heung-min fired two while Hwang Hee-chan and Kwon Chang-hoon added one each as Korea Republic ensured their bid to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 progresses smoothly, having defeated Turkmenistan 2-0 in their opening tie last month.

For Sri Lanka, it was their third consecutive defeat, having fallen to Turkmenistan (2-0) and DPR Korea (1-0) in September.

The Continent's 40 teams will only have a few days to recover before Matchday Four comes along on Tuesday, with another 16 matches scheduled.

Karim Ansarifard scored four, Sardar Azmoun three, Mehdi Taremi and Mohammad Mohebi two each with Ahmad Noorollahi, Hossein Kanaani and Mehrdad Mohammadi also on the scoresheet as Team Melli took another step towards qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

Yusuf Abdurisag’s first-half goal and a late strike from Karim Boudiaf helped seal all three points for Sanchez’s charges on a night when, despite the damp conditions, they maintained their push to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

With a crucial trip to second-placed Oman looming large on Tuesday, the Spanish tactician was left in doubt as to the importance of the victory following a job well done for 2019 AFC Asian Cup winners at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The Galatasaray full-back netted his side’s third goal in a comfortable win over their East Asian rivals after Takumi Minamino had given Hajime Moriyasu’s side the lead and Maya Yoshida doubled the home team’s advantage.