Asian champion Australia lost top spot in Group B on Friday (AEDT), beaten 2-0 by Jordan in the second round of AFC 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Ange Postecoglou's side had not lost since January heading into the clash in Amman, but it struggled to find its rhythm and was caught out twice in the second half.

Hassan Abdel Fattah converted a penalty soon after the break to give the host the lead, before Hamza Al Daradreh finished off a swift counter-attack with the second late on.

Victory lifts Jordan into first place at the halfway stage, while Kyrgyzstan held onto third place as Anton Zemlianukhin grabbed a last-gasp equaliser from the spot in its 2-2 draw with Tajikistan.

Japan maintained its unbeaten record in Group E with a 3-0 win over Syria, second-half strikes from Keisuke Honda, Shinji Okazaki and Takashi Usami giving it a comfortable victory.

Elsewhere in the group, Singapore beat Afghanistan 1-0 to open up a four-point gap over its opponent.

Iran was grateful to Jalal Hosseini as it snatched a point against Oman, the defender earning his side a 1-1 draw after Saad Suhail had broken the deadlock after 52 minutes.

The draw sees both sides remain level on eight points at the top of Group D, while Turkmenistan earned its first win as it beat India 2-1.

Group A leader Saudi Arabia came from a goal down to earn a 2-1 victory over United Arab Emirates, the three points secured thanks to a Mohammed Al Sahlawi double with the winner coming in stoppage time.

Palestine remains in third place in the group after its 1-1 draw with East Timor, Ahmed Nayea volleying home from close-range to clinch a point.

Qatar strengthened its lead at the top of Group C with a 1-0 win over China 1-0 in Doha, Karim Boudiaf grabbing the decisive goal to extend its lead in the group to five points.

Elsewhere in the group a late comeback from Bhutan was not enough to earn it a first point against Maldives, the minnow scoring three goals in the final five minutes as it was beaten 4-3.

Korea Republic took control of Group G thanks to a 1-0 triumph over Kuwait, while Lebanon inflicted a third defeat on Myanmar with a 2-0 win in Bangkok.

Uzbekistan roared back into contention in Group H as it took full advantage of DPR Korea's goalless draw with Philippines.

Four second-half goals secured a 4-0 victory for Uzbekistan over Bahrain, moving it to within a point of the group leader – which it faces next month.

Meanwhile in Group F, Younis Mahmoud was Iraq's hero as he fired home a 96th-minute penalty to earn a 1-1 draw with Vietnam.