Beaten by a brace from striker Oh Se-hun, Uzbekistan nevertheless marched into the last eight on goal difference after nearest rivals Islamic Republic of Iran could only beat China PR 1-0 in the group’s other game.

The result saw Uzbekistan finish second in Group C, while Korea Republic claimed top spot following three successive victories.

After wasting a string of chances, Iran finally took the lead through Omid Noorafkan’s 87th minute penalty, but it wasn’t enough to extend their stay in the competition, with Uzbekistan advancing on goal difference despite their 2-1 loss to Korea Republic in Pathum Thani

While Iran claimed a somewhat hollow first win of the competition, China PR’s defeat meant they finished Group C without a point or goal after three matches.

The Australians will meet the runners-up from Group B in the last eight on Saturday after sharing the points with Bahrain, who exited the competition with two points from their three group matches.

Jaroensak Wonggorn’s first-half penalty ultimately proved enough for the Thais to advance to the last eight as runners-up in Group A following last week’s win over Bahrain and loss to table-topping Australia.

With Thailand now set to face the winners of Group B in the knockout phase, Nishino wasted little time in praising his charges after a night of high drama at the Rajamangala Stadium.

The midfielder’s fifth minute penalty secured Thailand a 1-1 draw with Iraq in their final Group A match on Tuesday, giving Thailand the point needed to seal their place in the knockout stage for the first time in three appearances at the AFC U23 Championship. 

Wonggorn admitted he felt tremendous pressure when taking the spot-kick but the 22-year-old said head coach Akira Nishino’s faith in him and the hours spent in training boosted his confidence.

Vietnam travelled to Bangkok for their last group game in the knowledge that should UAE and Jordan play out a score draw, the outcome of their game against already-eliminated DPR Korea would be rendered irrelevant and the 2018 runners-up would exit at the first stage.

The Whites currently top the group with four points from a goalless draw against Vietnam and a 2-0 victory over DPR Korea, meaning a point against Jordan is all they need to advance to the quarter-finals.