Successive wins over Turkmenistan, Oman, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia - all by single goal margins, took the Samurai Blue through to the last eight for the eighth consecutive edition of the tournament.

While Moiryasu's men are yet to stumble in their pursuit of a fifth Asian title, they are also yet to produce the sort of dominant performance for which they have become known, and the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima boss believes his side remain a work in progress.

Vietnam began their campaign by taking the lead twice against Iraq in their group opener, but the Golden Dragons eventually lost 3-2 through a 90th minute Ali Adnan Karim strike.

Following their 2-0 loss to three-time champions Islamic Republic of Iran on Matchday Two, Vietnam squeezed into the Round of 16 after beating Yemen 2-0, coupled with a better fairplay record over Lebanon.

Against Jordan in the last 16, the West Asians took the lead but Nguyen Công Phuong’s strike in the second half pushed the game into a penalty shootout, with Vietnam emerging victorious.

Haijme Moriyasu’s team opted to play defensively and it was a move that paid off for the Samurai Blue as they kept their bid for a record-extending fifth Continental title on track.

Japan’s win came courtesy of Takehiro Tomiyasu’s header in the 20th minute but they found themselves defending for the major part of the match.

However, Moriyasu’s men held off the West Asians to earn a spot in the quarter-finals where they will face Park Hang-seo’s Vietnam on Thursday.

Defender Takehiro Tomiyasu's thumping header in the 20th minute set up an enticing encounter with Vietnam, who beat Jordan on penalties, in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Three-time champions Saudi Arabia dominated the tie but Juan Antonio Pizzi's men couldn't find a way past the resolute Japanese defence as the West Asians wait - their last title having been won in 1996 - continues.

After squeezing into the knockout stage as the third-placed team in Group D, the Southeast Asians confounded pre-match predictions to beat Jordan on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Round of 16.

Park Hang-seo's side's run to the quarter-finals is the latest achievement in a whirlwind 12 months, which has included reaching the final of the AFC U-23 Championship, the semi-finals of the Asian Games, and winning the AFF Championship.

The Southeast Asian side advanced in dramatic fashion, overcoming Jordan 4-2 on penalties after their Round of 16 tie ended 1-1 after extra-time on Sunday.

Fatigue had been a major concern for Park but the head coach from Korea Republic was proud that his players did not let that derail them from making the quarter-finals of the Continental showpiece.

From the almost 1.3 million votes cast, Nguyen's sublime free-kick garnered 465,629 votes, with China PR's Wu Lei (305,806) and Islamic Republic of Iran's Saman Ghoddos (134,491) second and third respectively.

Now we turn to some of the best goals from the Round of 16, and ask you to select your favourite in our poll at the end.

As Vietnam, Islamic Republic of Iran, China PR, Japan, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Korea Republic and Qatar progressed past the last 16 of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 we saw some stunning strikes along the way.

Here are six we picked for your consideration.