Iran close in on World Cup, China teeter on the brink

Football Soccer - South Korea v Syria - World Cup 2018 Qualifiers - Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea - 28/3/17 - South Korea's Kim Jin-su shoots the ball. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

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.