Nicholas D'Agostino scored either side of the break to secure his side’s victory, one that, coupled with Bahrain’s draw with Iraq earlier in the day, leaves Australia leading the way in Group A and needing only a draw against the Bahrainis on Matchday Three to guarantee their place in the last eight.

The result, meanwhile, saw Thailand drop to second with Akira Nishino's charges now requiring a point from Tuesday's encounter with Iraq to advance.

Qasim had netted against Australia in Iraq’s opening game to secure a draw and he did the same again – but in more dramatic fashion – when he denied Bahrain all three points with an injury time header at Thammasat Stadium.

Mohamed Marhoon looked to have secured Bahrain the win when he put Bahrain in front for the second time in the game three minutes from time with a diving header as the game exploded into life in the dying minutes.

After racing into a two-goal lead within the first 22 minutes of their campaign opener, Qatar were eventually forced to settle for a 2-2 draw after Alaa Aldin Dali struck deep into stoppage time to earn his side a share of the spoils.

Despite the last gasp disappointment, Sanchez believes the result will have little or no bearing on proceedings when they face a Saudi side who began their title bid with a win over Japan.

The Syrians fought back from going two goals down to earn a point against Felix Sanchez’s side and Hakeem is hoping his players can perform a quick turnaround to make amends against Hajime Moriyasu’s team.

The defending champions were held to a 1-1 draw in their opening match, and with a final group stage clash against a strong Korea Republic outfit still to come, there will be little room for error when they meet a Chinese side chasing their first points of the competition.

While Drulovic believes his side is capable of challenging any team in Thailand, he knows a win on Sunday would make for a much easier path to the last 16 and believes there is no reason why his side can’t be successful against Hao Wei’s side.

Having impressed in a 1-1 draw against defending champions Uzbekistan on Thursday, Team Melli Omid can take a major step towards the knockout stage as well as their ultimate goal of a first Olympic football qualification since 1976, with a win against the Koreans.

In stark contrast to Iran’s Olympic drought, Korea Republic haven’t missed out on the Games since 1984, but Estili is confident his staff have pinpointed a path to victory at Tinsulanon Stadium.

Nguyen Quang Hai came close on a couple of occasions for Vietnam and Nguyen Tien Linh was denied a winner at the death by the Emirati goalkeeper as Park’s side settled for a point at Buriram Stadium.