Triple winner Iran made a pulsating start to 2011 Asian Cup qualifying with a 6-0 rout of Singapore on Wednesday while Southeast Asian champion Vietnam beat Lebanon 3-1. Iran had to wait 43 minutes to get off the mark before the floodgates opened against Singapore, who fell apart after Ismail Yunos was sent off in the Group E tie. On a high after winning their first international soccer title two weeks ago, Vietnam was two up inside 30 minutes while Group D rivals China lost 3-2 to Syria in Aleppo. Jordan and Thailand drew 0-0 in chilly Amman to share second place in Group E. Majid Gholamnejad fired Iran ahead with a stunning strike from outside the area before Karim Bagheri and Gholamreza Rezaei extended their lead soon after halftime. The host made it 4-0 after a long-range effort by Mazyar Zareh and substitute Mohammed Nouri added two late goals. Nguyen Minh Phuong and Le Cong Vinh gave Vietnam its early advantage. Nguyen Vu Phong added a third on 69 minutes before Akram Moghrabi pulled one back for Lebanon. Syria raced into a 3-0 lead inside 39 minutes but had to survive a late fight-back by China, who are still recovering from their embarrassing early exit in 2010 World Cup qualifying. Maher Al-Sayed scored twice before Firas Al-Khatib converted a penalty. Qu Bo reduced the deficit for China on 52 minutes and Jiang Ning added another deep into stoppage time.
