Head coach Bruno Pinheiro’s charges, AFC U-19 champions in 2014, were made to dig deep by their Southeast Asian opponents as a quartet of late goals saw them advance to the last four where they will meet the winners of Monday’s quarter-final tie between Korea Republic and Tajikistan.

The late drama rounded off a classic evening of football, one which had swung one way and then the other before Qatar struck to seal a sensational victory and leave Thailand to rue what could have been.

The two sides stand 90 minutes away from securing a place at next year's global youth showpiece, with the winners of the match at Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium to claim one of four tickets to Poland 2019.

It's 25 years since a then 18-year-old Milicic scored against Colombia, Russia and England as Australia reached the semi-finals of the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship on home soil, an achievement which followed on from another appearance in the final four in Portugal two years prior.

The early 90s was a proud era for Australian youth football, and one Milicic hopes can be recreated by the class of 2018.

The Koreans drew their opening Group C match with Australia, before recording successive 3-1 victories against Jordan and Vietnam to claim pole position and book their place in the last eight.

With a ticket to next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup also on offer to the winners of the game, Chung is adamant that the progression he has seen thus far will stand his young charges in good stead.

Two penalties from Cho and Kim Hyun-woo’s scrambled effort proved the difference as the Koreans came from behind to beat Vietnam 3-1 on Thursday and earn themselves a place in the competition’s last eight after finishing top of Group C.

With the top four finishers in Indonesia guaranteed a ticket to the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, Cho – who also found the net against Jordan on Matchday Two – was quick to reiterate just how determined he and his teammates are to appear at the global extravaganza.