In truth, Alberto Zaccheroni’s side struggled for large periods of a game which saw Khalil’s success from 12 yards seal their progress only after Kyrgyz Republic had twice come from behind following Khamis Esmaeel’s early opener at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City Stadium.

On a night when tournament debutants Kyrgyz Republic shone brightly, the UAE’s victory sets up a quarter-final showdown with Australia in Al Ain on Friday, and maintained Emirati hopes of claiming a first-ever Continental crown.

Ryan kept out spot-kicks from Islom Tukhtakhujaev and Dostonbek Khamdamov to leave Mathew Leckie to score the winning penalty that took Graham Arnold’s side into the next round of the competition.

Neither side had been able to find the back of the net during the previous 120 minutes, leaving Ryan to provide the heroics for his team, who now face the United Arab Emirates - who defeated Kyrgyz Republic 3-2 in their last 16 tie - in the next round.

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.

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.

After Azmoun had been caught on camera suggesting which way Beiranvand should dive, the Persepolis custodian’s outstretched right-hand repelled Ahmed Al Mahaijri’s spot-kick in the opening moments of the game which saw Team Melli go through to the quarter-finals.

Having already saved a penalty from Cristiano Ronaldo at last year’s FIFA World Cup, Beiranvand’s heroics in the United Arab Emirates only added to his burgeoning reputation, with the 26-year-old saying that his primary aim when facing Al Mahaijri was not to let his country down.

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.