Doha: Asian Cup host Qatar finished its group stage in style on Monday with a spectacular volley from Hassan Al-Haydos for a 1-0 win over China, which is on the brink of elimination from the tournament. The deadlock at the Khalifa International Stadium was broken midway through the second half with an unforgettable strike. Akram Afif's corner was immediately met outside the area by Al-Haydos, who confidently volleyed into the top corner. Both players had just been introduced as substitutes. Qatar, which had already secured its spot in the knockout stage, topped Group A with nine points and advanced with Tajikistan, which beat last-place Lebanon 2-1 to take second with four points. China finished with just two points and failed to score in any of its three games. It has never won the Asian Cup and must now wait for other results but has only the faintest of chances of squeezing into the next round as one of the four best-performing third-place teams in the six groups. Qatar may have lost all three games on home soil at the 2022 World Cup but has been perfect in the Asian Cup, advancing to the round of 16 by winning all three games without conceding a goal. Already sure of the top spot heading into the match, defending champion Qatar made nine changes from its previous game, handing the initiative to China, which created better chances in the first half. Wei Shihao had three opportunities to score his team's first goal. After just seven minutes, he side-footed wide from just inside the area, and then later, his low shot from close range was saved by Saad Al Sheeb. Wei went close again just before the break with a header that cleared the bar. After Al-Haydos' superb goal in the 66th, China had the ball in the net with three minutes remaining, but Jiang Shenglong's shot was ruled out as the ball had gone out of play in the buildup.