The Middle East side grabbed a dramatic late equaliser through Sebastian Quintana after Japan had taken a second-half lead through Naohiro Takahara.

"We have a good chance to qualify now and that's what we are hoping to do," Bechir said.

"The Japanese team is strong, and coach (Dzemaludin Mosovic) told us not to play an open, attacking game," said the Al Arabi forward.

"We defended hard and worked very hard not to let them play. If you give them space, Japan have the players who can create chances and cause problems for you."

The Qatari players frustrated the Japanese players with their defensive tactics, especially in the first half, before Eintracht Frankfurt striker Takahara found the net in the 61st minute.

"We scored nearly at the end of the game through Sebastian. He is a player who can score goals if he gets chances," Bechir added.

His team-mate and midfielder Saad Al Shammari was also upbeat, saying: "We've collected one point from Japan, who won the tournament in 2004, and that's good."

Coach Musovic was remaining grounded, however, insisting he is taking things one step at a time.

"We are in an excellent position now, but it is only one game," Musovic stressed. "We take one game at a time."

Qatar next take on co-hosts Vietnam on Thursday at the same venue in the Vietnam capital.