With Australia defeating co-hosts Thailand 4-0 in a match played simultaneously across town at Rajamangala Stadium, the Iraqis reached the last eight of the competition for the fourth successive tournament.

As Group A winners, Jorvan Vieira's side will remain in Bangkok to face the Vietnamese while Australia will travel to Hanoi for a mouth-watering clash with defending champions Japan.

Oman needed to win to extend their interest in the tournament and they had the first chance of the match when Badar Mubarak played the ball through to Ismail Al Ajmi, but Iraq keeper Noor Sabri was alertly off his line to take possession.

Three minutes later Mubarak fired in a low drive but Sabri got down well to his right to stop the effort before the Oman forward again released Al Ajmi, only for Sabri to be equal to the task once again.

Oman dominated the opening 20 minutes and but for a couple of unproductive corners Iraq struggled to find the attacking verve that saw them outclass Australia 3-1 in their previous Group A fixture.

With five minutes left to play Mahdi Karim's acrobatic overhead-kick set Iraq skipper Younis Mahmoud and Ali Al Habsi off on a race for the ball which the Bolton Wanderers keeper won with a timely header clear from outside his area.

Immediately after that, Fawzi Basheer should have opened the scoring after being set-up by Mubarak but the midfield dynamo's close-range angled shot was too tame to trouble Sabri.

Oman pressed forward in the second half looking for the goal that would keep their Asian Cup dream alive but it was the Iraqis who had the first chance 15 minutes after the restart.

Mahdi Karim's trickery took him past Issam Fayel, allowing the midfielder to whip in a cross for Mahmoud but the Iraq skipper, under pressure from two Oman defenders, headed wide.

The second half was punctuated by numerous free-kicks and from one of these Ahmed Hadid almost gave Oman a 62nd-minute lead, but his curling effort was tipped over the bar by Sabri.

Three minutes later Mahmoud almost set up an unmarked Karrar Jassim, who came on at the end of the first half for the injured Hawar Mulla Mohammed, but the 2006/07 Qatar League's top scorer under-hit his square pass and the danger was cleared.

With 10 minutes left to play Mahmoud again had the chance to break the deadlock but his low strike was comfortably saved by Al Habsi.

Younis Al Mushaifri almost ensured Oman went out on a winning note but the substitute's header three minutes from full-time flashed wide of Noor's post before Imad Ali, one of a number of Omani players that Iraq coach Vieira groomed when the Brazilian was at the helm of the Gulf sultanate's Under-20s, saw a stoppage-time shot saved by Sabri.