Zayed Abdulla Alameri put the Emiratis in front in the 13th minute but goals from Ilkhomjon Alijanov, Islomjon Kobilov and Oybek Bozorov gave Uzbekistan a 3-1 lead at half time before Jasurbek Yakshiboev and Nurillo Tukhtasinov completed the win in the dying minutes of the match.

Having emerged from the group stage with a perfect record, Kim Hak-bum’s rising stars continued their impressive form at the Thammasat Stadium as, despite a late Jordan rally, Lee Dong-gyeong’s last gasp free-kick helped them move to within touching distance of what would be a first-ever Continental title at this level.

The Koreans, who have featured at every Olympic extravaganza since they were hosts in 1988, will now face Australia in an encounter which promises the winners both a place in the final and a berth at Tokyo 2020.

Abdullah Al Hamdan’s late penalty took Saudi Arabia into the semi-finals to leave them one win away from securing a place at the Olympic tournament for the first time since 1996, but it was the performance of the rearguard that Al Shehri preferred to highlight.

A packed-out Thammasat Stadium roared Nishino’s team on against Saad Al Shehri’s side, but in the end a 78th minute penalty from Abdullah Al Hamdan was enough to take the West Asian nation into the last four and break Thai hearts.

Thailand were making their first-ever appearance in the knockout phase of the competition and Nishino was hopeful that Thai football would learn from their involvement in the latter stages of the tournament.

Regulation time failed to break the deadlock and it took a moment of magic from substitute Al Hassan Toure in the 102nd minute for the Olyroos to claim a 1-0 victory to advance to their first AFC U23 Championship semi-finals.

Arnold, who also manages the Socceroos, acknowledged the difficulty his side faced and revealed he was forced to make several strategic adjustments through the 120 minutes and praised his players for their ability to adapt.

The 19-year-old was introduced in the 65th minute at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok with the Olyroos locked in a stalemate against Syria in the quarter-final clash.

Toure proved decisive when he pounced to score the winning goal 11 minutes into the first period of extra-time as Graham Arnold’s side advanced to the last four of Thailand 2020 with a 1-0 win.

Syria produced their best performance of the tournament but ultimately bowed out after conceding a goal in extra time to lose 1-0 to Australia at the Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday. 

It was a result that not only ended Syria’s campaign but also dashed their hopes of appearing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but Alhakeem was proud of his players and tipped them for greater things.