Striker John Moore and defender Feng Jizhi made all the difference as Hong Kong restored some World Cup pride with victory over Malaysia.
The SAR team - already out of the running for a place in the next qualifying round - scored a 2-1 success for their first victory in Asian Zone Group Three.
Mainland-born Feng opened the scoring and English veteran Moore led the line impressively as Hong Kong held firm against a Malaysian fightback in the capital of Qatar, Doha. Both players were returning to the lineup after suspension.
'John filled the missing link as a target man,' said coach Arie van der Zouwen. 'He's very useful whether the ball is in the air or on the ground. We always play better as a team when he's with us,' said Van der Zouwen. 'We also made some changes because Feng was back. We played Szeto Man-chun as a right midfielder and Lo Kai-wah as right wingback.'
Despite the win, Hong Kong remained bottom of the four-team group, level with Malaysia on four points but with an inferior goal difference.
Earlier, Qatar ensured qualification for the next stage with a superb 2-1 victory over World Cup debutants Palestine.
