China and Lebanon settle for 0-0 draw to leave Asian Cup progress in the balance

China and Lebanon’s hopes of advancing to the Asian Cup knockout stage were left in the balance after a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.

Lebanon hit the bar twice and China saw an effort cleared off the line as they had to share the points at Al-Thumama Stadium.

China is second in Group A on two points after two games and Lebanon is at the bottom of the standings with one point.

Both teams had chances to win the match, with Hassan Maatouk and Hasan Srour hitting the bar for Lebanon either side of halftime.

Wu Lei thought he’d broken the deadlock for China in the 65th minute, but his close-range range shot was hooked off the line.

China, a quarterfinalist in each of the last two Asian Cups, went into this game knowing its chances of advancing to the round of 16 were in jeopardy after a 0-0 draw with Tajikistan in its opening game.

It faces host and defending champion Qatar in its final group game, when it is likely to need at least a draw to have a chance of advancing as runner-up or one of the best third-placed teams.

Qatar leads Group A with three points, and it was facing Tajikistan on Wednesday with the chance to secure its place in the round of 16. Third-placed Tajikistan also has one point.

China came close to scoring in the first half when Lebanon goalkeeper Mostafa Matar twice denied Zhang Yuning in one threatening attack.

Substitute Lin Liangming should have been more clinical late in the match but headed wide when unmarked right in front of goal.