Abu Dhabi, Jan 12 (IANS): China and South Korea have secured their places in the Asian Cup round of 16 with one group stage match to go, after defeating the Philippines 3-0 and Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in Group C.

First, China prevailed over the Philippines on the strength of a brace by midfielder Lei Wu, who opened the scoring in the dying minutes of the first half on a precise shot that got past goalkeeper Michael Falkesgaard with five minutes to go before the stoppage time on Friday night.

Five minutes after the one hour mark, Lei Wu struck again on a volley, connecting a cross by Junmin Hao, while an unmarked Dabao Yu scored China's third goal in the 80th minute on a close range header, punishing the defenders for failure to clear the ball, reports Efe news.

Later in on Friday night, South Korea topped Kyrgyzstan 1-0 thanks to a first half goal by forward Min-jae Kim with a header off a cross by Chul Hong.

After the second Group C matchday, China tops the table with two wins, on goal differential ahead of South Korea, while third-placed Kyrgyzstan and Philippines are already out of the tournament.