Iran close in on World Cup, China teeter on the brink (Reuters)

By Michael Church SYDNEY (Reuters) - Iran took a significant step towards qualifying for next year's World Cup finals with a 1-0 win over China on Tuesday that pushed Marcello Lippi's team closer to the brink of elimination. Mehdi Taremi scored the only goal of the game less than a minute after halftime as Iran remained unbeaten in the third round of Asia's qualifying tournament for Russia 2018. Carlos Queiroz's team moved on to 17 points from seven games, four clear of second-placed South Korea, who got their own campaign back on track with a 1-0 win over Syria that reduced the mounting pressure on coach Uli Stielike.