Saudi Arabia advanced to the knockout stage of the Asian Cup with a game to spare after beating nine-man Kyrgyzstan 2-0 on Sunday.

Goals in each half from Mohamed Kanno and Faisal Al-Ghamdi at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar, put the three-time champions in first place in Group F.

The Saudis have six points from two games and are two points ahead of Thailand, who earlier drew 0-0 with Oman. Third-place Oman have one point and Kyrgyzstan are pointless.

The task for Saudi Arabia was made much easier by Kyrgyzstan, who were making only their second appearance in the tournament, having a player sent off early in each half.

First to go was Aizar Akmatov for a rash challenge on Sami Al-Naji after just eight minutes.

Kanno broke the deadlock 10 minutes before the break, volleying home Saud Abdulhamid's cross at the far post.

Seven minutes into the second half, Kimi Merk was also shown a red for a dangerous tackle.

It resulted in almost constant pressure from Saudi Arabia and, with six minutes remaining, Al-Ghamdi’s long-range shot took a deflection and went through the hands of the otherwise impressive Erzhan Tokotaev in goal.

"It is difficult to play against Saudi Arabia with 11 players but with nine it is too difficult," Tajikistan captain Tamirlan Kozubaev said. "We did our best."

Earlier, Thailand moved closer to securing a spot in the knockout stage of the Asian Cup after drawing 0-0 with Oman on Sunday.

There was little attacking action of note at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha with a close-range header from Elias Dolah of Thailand in the 15th minute almost crossing the line before it was cleared.

Oman, who lost their opening game against Saudi Arabia, struggled to break through the committed Thailand defence. Issam Al-Sabhi came closest with a shot that was saved late in the game.

"We are so happy to get one point and everybody worked hard for each other," Thailand defender Pansa Hemviboom said. "We communicated well as a team to get this result."

Oman, with just a point from their opening two games, need a win in their final group match against Kyrgyzstan to keep alive hopes of a place in the knockout stage.

The top two teams from each of the six groups advance, along with the four best runners-up.

Ali Albulayhi scored in stoppage time as Saudi Arabia came back to beat Oman 2-1 in the Asian Cup on Tuesday.

In a dramatic conclusion to the match at Khalifa International Stadium, Albulayhi's headed winner was first ruled out for offside and then given after a VAR check.

To add to the chaotic scenes, Oman initially thought the offside call had been upheld and tried to restart the game with a free-kick.

But when referee Shaun Evans pointed to the centre spot, it sparked a mass celebration among the Saudi players and substitutes in front of fans as it appeared they believed the full-time whistle had blown, causing an extended delay before the match could resume.

Oman had led through Salaah Al Yahyaei’s 14th-minute penalty and withstood sustained pressure from Saudi Arabia until Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.

His brilliant individual goal in the 78th minute spared Saudi coach Roberto Mancini defeat in his team's opening Group F game.

Starting a run from outside the box, he showed speed to burst away from Oman captain Harib Al Saadi and then dancing feet to beat two players and sweep a low shot past goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini.

Albulayhi's winner came in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Ali Lajami flicked on a corner for him to head in from close range.

In the other Group F game, Supachai Chaided scored both of Thailand's goals in a 2-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan.

Thailand dominated at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium and could have scored twice early on when Supachok Sarachat hit the post and Suphanat Mueanta had an effort cannon off the crossbar.

Supachai made his team's superiority count in the 26th minute when he converted on the rebound after Bordin Phala's shot was saved by Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Erzhan Tokotaev.

He scored his second three minutes after the break with another close-range finish as Kyrgyzstan struggled to deal with a cross into the box.