Qasim came off the bench to level the scores for Iraq after Reno Piscopo had given Australia the lead with a free-kick that found the top corner of Ali Khadim’s goal.

But Qasim outmuscled Keanu Baccus before beating Thomas Glover with his own effort from outside the area with 13 minutes to go at Thammasat Stadium to give the Iraqis a share of the points.

Mohamed Qasim scored with 13 minutes remaining to cancel out Reno Piscopo’s opener for the Olyroos as both teams picked up a point in their first Group A game at Thammasat Stadium.

A brace apiece from Suphanat Mueanta and substitute Jaroensak Wonggorn helped secure the Matchday One victory at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium, success which saw Thailand go two points clear at the top of the standings.

The resounding performance has left Thailand well placed to reach the competition’s knockout phase for the first time in three attempts – and Nishino full of praise for his young charges.

Qasim had only been on the field eight minutes before earning Abdulghani Shahad’s side a point having seen Piscopo give the Olyroos the lead with a high quality strike into the top corner of Ali Khadim’s goal. 

Piscopo, who had been a threat throughout his 64 minutes on the field, put Australia ahead just two minutes before he was replaced by Zachary Duncan when he arrowed his free-kick from 25 yards beyond the outstretched hands of Khadim.

That goal was no less than the Australians deserved after dominating the second half until that point, with Iraq having offered little after an even first half.

Two goals from Suphanat Mueanta provided the platform for success on a night when both the Buriram United ace and Thailand shone brightly from start to finish against a Bahrain outfit which, in truth, created few genuine opportunities.

The result leaves Akira Nishino’s charges two points clear at the summit following Iraq’s 1-1 draw with Australia earlier in the day and adds genuine momentum to their bid to reach the competition’s knockout phase for the first time in three attempts.

Two disappointing group stage exits in 2013 and 2018 were separated by a run into the final eight that was ended by an extra-time defeat at the hands of 2016 hosts Qatar.

Kim Kum-chul spearheads a new generation of players aiming to take DPR Korea into the Olympics for the first time since Montreal 1976.

One player who can’t wait to make amends is defender Khalifa Al Hammadi. The Al Jazira centre-back was on the receiving end of a red card minutes before Nguyen Tien Linh’s thunderous strike gave Vietnam a first-half lead that would prove to be the difference at the final whistle.

At Buriram Stadium, Al Hammadi will look to muster the experiences gained, not only in that match, but throughout a 2019 which saw him make his senior international debut in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and go on to establish himself as a key member of the UAE national team at the age of 21.