The 66-year-old AFC Champions League-winning coach failed to lead the War Elephants to the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as Thailand missed out on a top two finish in Group G.

The Matildas looked destined to be eliminated after two Ellen White goals had Great Britain 2-1 up in the dying minutes of normal time, but Sam Kerr conjured a last-gasp equaliser to force to the match to a pulsating period of extra-time.

Australia dodged a bullet when Tegan Micah saved Caroline Weir’s 101st-minute penalty kick, before a Mary Fowler strike swung the match back in their favour, with Kerr then adding her side's crucial fourth.

White completed her hat-trick to give Australia a nervous final five minutes, but they did enough to hold on for a famous victory which sets up a semi-final against Sweden, who defeated Japan 3-1 in their quarter-final.

Japan fought valiantly after going behind early but eventually had to concede to Sweden's superiority with the European side to face Australia in the semi-finals.

It was always going to be hard for Japan against a Swedish side who have not lost a match in more than 16 months but Asako Takakura's side gave the tie their all and walked away with their heads held high despite the tears that flowed at the end of the match.

Japan are the only team in the last eight with a perfect record after wins over South Africa, Mexico and France as they finished top of Group A, but the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima head coach stressed that those results now count for little.

The Taeguk Warriors boast an impressive record at the Games, having now advanced to the quarter-finals in four of the past five editions, most notably in 2012 when goals from Park Chu-young and Koo Ja-cheol helped them defeat East Asian rivals Japan 2-0 to win the bronze medal.

Fast forward nine years to the current edition of the Olympics and it is the 2012 gold medalists Mexico who stand in the way of a return to the semi-finals after Korea stormed to a 6-0 victory over Honduras in Wednesday's final round of group matches.

The defeat brought the curtains down on a remarkable campaign for Qatar, playing on an invitational basis, who had opened their tournament with a draw against Panama before defeating Grenada and Honduras to finish top of Group D and advance into the knockout stage where they beat El Salvador in the quarter-finals.

Six-time champions the United States will play Mexico, who defeated Canada 2-1 in the other last four tie, in Sunday's final.

The race to the AFC Champions League Quarter-finals will take centrestage on September 14 with the commencement of the Round of 16 (East) battles, which will see reigning champions Ulsan Hyundai FC take on Japan's Kawasaki Frontale, while Daegu FC, who will be appearing in the Round of 16 for the first time, will face-off against Nagoya Grampus on the same day.