Australia's perfect start to the second round of AFC 2018 World Cup qualifying continued on Tuesday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Tajikistan, while Japan crushed Afghanistan 6-0 to keep up with the Syrians in Group E.
Syria maintained their perfect start with a dominant 6-0 win over Cambodia, setting the stage for what should be an epic clash when the two teams meet in October.
Elsewhere, China cruised past Maldives 3-0, while Thailand completed a late comeback against Iraq. Here are the full results of Tuesday's fixtures, as well as the upcoming schedule:
| Date | Group | Home | Score | Away |
| September 8 | A | Malaysia | Suspended | Saudi Arabia |
| September 8 | A | Palestine | 0-0 | UAE |
| September 8 | B | Bangladesh | 0-4 | Jordan |
| September 8 | B | Tajikistan | 0-3 | Australia |
| September 8 | C | Maldives | 0-3 | China |
| September 8 | C | Hong Kong | 2-3 | Qatar |
| September 8 | D | Guam | 0-0 | Oman |
| September 8 | D | India | 0-3 | Iran |
| September 8 | E | Cambodia | 0-6 | Syria |
| September 8 | E | Afghanistan | 0-6 | Japan |
| September 8 | F | Taiwan | 1-2 | Vietnam |
| September 8 | F | Thailand | 2-2 | Iraq |
| September 8 | G | Laos | 0-2 | Kuwait |
| September 8 | G | Lebanon | 0-3 | South Korea |
| September 8 | H | Philippines | 1-5 | Uzbekistan |
| September 8 | H | Yemen | tbd | Bahrain |
| October 8 | A | Timor-Leste | tbd | Palestine |
| October 8 | A | Saudi Arabia | tbd | UAE |
| October 8 | B | Kyrgyzstan | tbd | Tajikistan |
| October 8 | B | Jordan | tbd | Australia |
| October 8 | C | Bhutan | tbd | Maldives |
| October 8 | C | Qatar | tbd | China |
| October 8 | D | Turkmenistan | tbd | India |
| October 8 | D | Oman | tbd | Iran |
| October 8 | E | Singapore | tbd | Afghanistan |
| October 8 | E | Syria | tbd | Japan |
| October 8 | F | Vietnam | tbd | Iraq |
| October 8 | G | Myanmar | tbd | Lebanon |
| October 8 | G | Kuwait | tbd | South Korea |
| October 8 | H | North Korea | tbd | Philippines |
| October 8 | H | Bahrain | tbd | Uzbekistan |
Here are the current group standings:
| Group A | PL | Pts | Group B | PL | Pts |
| UAE | 3 | 7 | Australia | 3 | 9 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | 6 | Jordan | 3 | 6 |
| Palestine | 3 | 4 | Kyrgyzstan | 3 | 3 |
| Timor-Leste | 3 | 1 | Tajikistan | 3 | 1 |
| Malaysia | 3 | 1 | Bangladesh | 4 | 1 |
| Group C | PL | Pts | Group D | PL | Pts |
| Qatar | 3 | 9 | Iran | 3 | 7 |
| China | 3 | 7 | Oman | 3 | 7 |
| Hong Kong | 4 | 7 | Guam | 4 | 7 |
| Maldives | 3 | 0 | Turkmenistan | 3 | 1 |
| Bhutan | 3 | 0 | India | 3 | 0 |
| Group E | PL | Pts | Group F | PL | pts |
| Syria | 3 | 9 | Thailand | 3 | 7 |
| Japan | 3 | 7 | Iraq | 2 | 4 |
| Singapore | 3 | 4 | Vietnam | 2 | 3 |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 3 | Chinese Taipei | 3 | 0 |
| Cambodia | 4 | 0 | Indonesia | DQ | DQ |
| Group G | PL | Pts | Group H | PL | Pts |
| South Korea | 3 | 9 | North Korea | 3 | 9 |
| Kuwait | 3 | 9 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 6 |
| Lebanon | 3 | 3 | Philippines | 3 | 6 |
| Myanmar | 3 | 1 | Bahrain | 2 | 0 |
| Laos | 4 | 1 | Yemen | 3 | 0 |
Recap
Tim Cahill scored twice as the Socceroos easily beat Tajikistan 3-0, maintaining their perfect record and a two-point lead over Jordan in Group B.