Goalkeeping and defensive errors undermined their performance, but with Kuwait losing they go into the draw in Kuala Lumpur on March 9.
CNN: South Korea beat Kuwait to advance with underdogs Lebanon
In Group E, Bahrain routed Indonesia 10-0, but their efforts were in vain as Mohammed Kasola's scored a late equalizer for Qatar in a 2-2 draw in Iran to go through at the Bahrainis expense.
CNN: South Korea beat Kuwait to advance with underdogs Lebanon
Having won their last two matches 3-0, confidence had been growing in the Scotland camp but the rankings slip likely to follow from this defeat may impact on which pot Craig Levein's men go into in the upcoming World Cup qualifying draw.
The hosts have already qualified for the finals with 15 points from their seven matches and the draw means Saudi Arabia go into their final match in third position in the table, level on 11 points with North Korea whom they entertain in the final group matches next week.
The home draw sees Saudi Arabia finish in third place to go into the playoffs where they will face Bahrain.
If the Spice Girls can draw screaming fans everywhere they go in Asia, why can't regional performers do the same?
While Thursday's match is only the first leg in the play-off round, the result could go a long way to deciding whether Craig Brown's men take their place in the draw for the group stages a week on Friday.
But Ghana could still go through with a draw in Kigali against Rwanda in the last qualifying game because of a superior goal difference.
The nine-time European champions were held to a 1-1 home draw in the Bernabeu to go out 2-1 on aggregate to the French side, who won the first leg 1-0.
But with 19 other uncovered courts, all due to stage matches, the draw could go dramatically out of synch, with some players in the third round, and having to wait for days while the others played their opening matches.
Chasing 294 off 57 overs for victory in the three-day match, England's Test opponents opted to go for the draw after reaching tea on 92-3.
"We haven't been in a series before where we have to go into a final match needing to win to draw the series - but that might not be a bad thing for us right now, " said Ponting.
BBC: SPORT | Cricket | Ashes 2005 | Aussies unlikely to make changes
Many will go on to jobs in industry, government, policy, regulation and law-enforcement that draw on their understanding of the social as well as technological characteristics of the internet and support their employers in securing the digital realm from multiple categories of threat.
BBC: Viewpoint: Preparing for the digital defence of the realm
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