Ahmed struck the opener in the 27th minute with a delightful volley.

He once again sent the home fans at Khalifa Stadium into rupture on the stroke of halftime when his tame low effort went past the keeper an into the net.

Qatar and Zamalek forward Hussein Yasser took no part in the game.

Bruno Metsu's side, who lost 2-0 to Uzbekistan in their previous match, are now keeping pace with China. Each team have three points in Group A.

Elsewhere, Uzbekistan beat Gulf champions Kuwait 2-1 to top the group with six points and become close to qualifying for the quarter finals.

Azizbek Haydarov unintentionally diverted home a Maksim Shatskikh free kick that gave Uzbekistan the lead shortly before the interval.

Bader Al-Mutwa brought the score level upon converting a penalty kick on 49 minutes.

Skipper Server Djeparov cannoned a powerful shot five minutes past the hour mark to seal the victory.

Kuwait, who are languishing at the bottom of Group A with no points, need a miracle to go through.

They will face Qatar in their upcoming Asian Cup match on January 16th.