Group C's second-running squad Hong Kong (4-1-1, 13 points) managed to escape with a 1-0 victory over a hard-fighting Maldives eleven (1-5-0, 3 points) in a second round group stage encounter of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament held at the National Football Stadium in Malé on Thursday.

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Four Four Two reported that Hong Kong's 32-year-old Brazilian striker Paulinho provided the lone goal for the visitors right at the 14th minute of the match via a penalty kick to give his team a much-needed breathing room ahead of their controversial and highly-anticipated matchup with China PR Tuesday next week.

It was the fourth win in six outings for Kim Pan-Gon's side, who are currently at the no. 2 spot in the Group C table of the AFC World Cup qualifying tourney.

The no. 1 teams from each of the tournament's eight groups will automatically qualify in the final round of qualifications and they will be joined by the top four runner-up squads based on their win-loss records, points, and goal differential.

The remaining 12 teams will vie for AFC's four reserved spots in the 2018 Russia World Cup, as per Asia Times.

Right now, Qatar, who had only played five games so far, is undefeated in Group C with 15 points and a massive +22 goal differential. China also only has five games under its belt and is currently at the third spot with 10 points and a goal differential of +20.

Hong Kong will face China in a highly crucial match on Nov. 17 at the Mong Kok Stadium in Hong Kong as it will determine both team's chances of advancing in the next phase of competitions.

Pan-Gon's team needs to win the match against China on Tuesday because they only have a goal differential of +10, which will be a disadvantage if in case a tie-breaker is needed to determine who will qualify in the final round.

If they lose, China will have the upper hand in the standings sand could even dislodge Qatar from its perch in the end.

TagsFootball, Football 2015, AFC 2018 World Cup qualifers, AFC 2018 World Cup qualifers second round, AFC 2018 World Cup qualifers second round group stage, 2018 AFC World Cup qualifying tournament, World Cup 2018 Russia, 2018 Russia World Cup, Hong Kong national football team, Maldives national football team, China national football team, Hong Kong, Maldives