Iran bounced back from two straight defeats to put their 2022 World Cup qualification campaign back on track with a 3-1 win over Hong Kong on Thursday. The five-time World Cup finalists struck twice in the second half of their Group C game in Muharraq, Bahrain, to take their tally to nine points from five matches, two behind leaders Iraq. Iran had beaten Hong Kong 2-0 in their opening match in September 2019 before thrashing Cambodia 14-0 but suffered shock back-to-back defeats against Iraq and Bahrain, leaving them with little scope for error in their remaining matches. Midfielder Ali Gholizadeh put Iran ahead from an acute angle after dribbling his way into the box in the 23rd minute before Vahid Amiri and Karim Ansarifard scored in the second half to give them a 3-0 cushion. An 85th minute goal by Cheng Siu Kwang came as little consolation for Hong Kong for whom it was their third defeat in six matches in a format where only the group winners are guaranteed progress to the next round. Meanwhile, In Group E, Bangladesh and Afghanistan played out a 1-1 draw in Doha that dented both teams' chances of making the cut. The competition began in 2019 but the Covid-19 pandemic left the schedule in disarray before it resumed last week when Japan confirmed their spot in the third round by thrashing minnows Myanmar. str/nr