Story highlights China claims its first win in 2018 World Cup qualifying campaignSyria well placed in Group A after beating Uzbekistan 1-0Saudi Arabia top Group B after beating Thailand 3-0(CNN) China kept its World Cup 2018 dream alive with victory over South Korea amid tight security in the city of Changsha. Yu Dabao's glancing header in the first half sealed a first victory in the qualification campaign for the side led by Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi. Victory moved China to within five points of its opponent, which occupies second place in Asian qualifying Group A. The top two teams from Groups A and B qualify, while the third place in each group goes through to a playoff round. The game, staged in the Hunan province, was played amid tensions over the arrival of a US-built missile defense system in South Korea, in response to the North's continued testing of ballistic missiles.

Source: CNN March 23, 2017 16:18 UTC