Feras Al Birakan’s 80th minute goal in a 1-0 win over regional rivals Syria - who also qualified - saw Saudi Arabia top the Group B standings and head into the next round having won two of their three group stage fixtures.

Although delighted to have guided Saudi Arabia through to the last eight, Alshehri is adamant that there is more work to be done if the West Asians are to realise their ambition of qualifying for this year’s Olympics.

After beating Japan on Matchday One and drawing with Qatar last time out, Feras Al Birakan’s accomplished strike helped secure Saudi Arabia’s second victory of the campaign to leave them at the summit, three points clear of their West Asian rivals.

With Qatar and Japan both going home following their 1-1 draw in the group’s other game, Saudi Arabia will now meet Group A runners-up Thailand on Saturday, with Syria scheduled to meet Australia, the Group A winners, on the same day.

A point was not enough for Sanchez’s side to climb above either Saudi Arabia or Syria and into the top two places in Group B, leaving the Qataris to pack their bags and head home along with the Japanese.

Abdullah Alahrak’s penalty secured the draw for the Qataris after Japan, who had been reduced to 10 men following Ao Tanaka’s sending off in first half injury time, had taken the lead through a long range strike from Koki Ogawa.

Felix Sanchez’s side needed to win to advance to the quarter-finals for the third tournament in a row but a resolute performance by Japan, despite Ao Tanaka’s sending off in the dying seconds of the first half, ensured the 2016 champions salvaged a draw.

The Japanese went into the final Group B match looking to reclaim some pride having been eliminated from contention for a place in the next phase following back-to-back defeats in their opening games against Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Behind to Oh Se-hun’s fifth minute goal, reigning champions Uzbekistan replied through a Bobir Abdixolikov header only for Oh to seal all three points for the Koreans courtesy of his second goal of the game with 19 minutes of the Group C encounter remaining.

While Korea Republic progressed as group winners, the result also saw second-placed Uzbekistan advance through to the knockout phase and, in the process, maintain their bid to reach this year’s Olympics in Tokyo.

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.