Qatar, the defending champion and host country, became the first to qualify for the round of 16 of the Asian Cup, beating Tajikistan 1-0, with Akram Afif scoring the only goal of the match in the 17th minute.
Qatar secured the top spot in the group, after raising its score to 6 points after defeating Lebanon 3-0 in the opening match, while China has two points and Lebanon and Tajikistan each have one point.