The West Asians will be making their first appearance in the knockout stage since 2004, ending that campaign with their best-ever AFC Asian Cup achievement of fourth place. 

Bahrain booked their spot in the UAE 2019 last 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams, courtesy of a 1-1 draw with host nation UAE and a last-gasp 1-0 win over India. 

After a week of recuperation and preparation, Soukup believes his side can take on the two-time champions if his players perform as they did against India.

Both teams advanced to the knockout stage in impressive form, with Qatar winning their three Group E matches while Iraq qualified with two wins and a draw, against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Qatar head coach Felix Sanchez and Iraqi counterpart Srecko Katanec, however, said their group stage record did not mean a thing now, especially after Jordan having been knocked out by Vietnam.

Jordan advanced from Group A without conceding a single goal but the one they did against Vietnam ultimately ended their campaign as the Southeast Asian side won the penalty shootout 4-2 on Sunday.

Supachai Chaided had given the Thais the lead 14 minutes before the end of the first half, but a tactical switch at halftime followed by the introduction of Xiao in the 64th minute turned the game in China’s favour.

“I’m very satisfied,” said Lippi as the Chinese won their first game in the knockout phase of the AFC Asian Cup since the semi-finals of the 2004 tournament on home soil.

The dramatic shootout, which followed a spirited 1-1 draw over 120 minutes, included misses from both sides, but Tien Dung kept his composure to add the final touch to his country's first ever knockout stage win in the competition.

Remarkably, the 23-year-old's winner came exactly one year to the day he scored the conclusive penalty in Vietnam's 2018 AFC U-23 Championship quarter-final shootout win over Iraq; a key stepping stone on the way to ultimately reaching the final in China.

Iran beat Oman 2-0 on Sunday to claim their place in the last eight, an impressive display which followed goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand’s superb penalty save in the opening moments of the game.

While grateful for his towering custodian’s contribution, Queiroz believes the unwavering unity which exists within the Iranian squad was, however, just as decisive a factor.

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.

Xiao Zhi was presented with a commemorative ball after the match from the AFC.

The 2019 edition of the tournament is the first to produce a century of goals, surpassing the previous record haul of 96, set at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China.

While Xiao's goal brought up a historic milestone, it was also crucial to keeping China PR's UAE 2019 campaign alive.

With Marcello Lippi's men facing a 1-0 deficit, and potential elimination from the competition, the Guangzhou R&F forward scored the equaliser in the 67th minute, just three minutes after being brought into the game as a substitute.