The Asian Cup quarter-finals begin on Friday with a pair of sides appearing at this stage of the competition for the first time, as Tajikistan and Jordan square off at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
In the round of 16, the Crowns defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on penalties (5-4), while a dramatic injury-time surge enabled the Jordanians to edge Iraq 3-2.
Even with only 34% possession in their knockout fixture, it looked as though Tajikistan would cruise to a comfortable victory, before a late goal by the UAE pegged them back.
While the Asian Cup debutants should have put that game to bed in the second half, they held their nerve in the shootout, winning a tournament knockout fixture for the first time since the 2023 Merdeka Tournament (2-0 win over Malaysia last October).
Petar Segrt's men have suffered just one defeat in their last nine competitive fixtures, conceding a goal or fewer in each of those outings.
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