In a match devoid of class, Iraq rarely produced the sort of football that saw them beat Australia and stun onlookers at the championship.

But, with the point securing Iraq's place at the top of Group A, Vieira admitted his side were too preoccupied with the thought of facing Vietnam in the quarter-finals to worry about how they got there.

He said: "For the Iraqi people this was very important. Today, I would like to be in Baghdad to see how they celebrate this qualification. It is best to be in the party and not just watch it from the outside.

"I think we worked very hard but we must recognise that we didn't play well."

Vieira was wary of Vietnam's pace. He added: "Vietnam is very fast and they have good players. The advantage we have is that they have to travel here. If they were in Vietnam then it would be an advantage for them."

Oman boss Gabriel Calderon was left rueing his side's missed opportunities against Iraq as well as Tim Cahill's stoppage-time equaliser that denied them all three points from their opening match against Australia.

"First I have to congratulate Iraq for their performance in the tournament," he said.

"Today we needed to win but we couldn't score and if you can't score then you can't win.

"The first game and the last game we played well but we were not good in the second match. The Australian goal was awful for us," said the Argentinian.

Oman's hopes rested on defeating Iraq and hoping that Thailand didn't lose to Australia in the other Group A fixture taking place simultaneously at the Rajamangala Stadium.

But neither element of the equation happened as the Socceroos finally found form and hammered the Thais 4-0 while Oman struggled to find a way past a steadfast Iraq rearguard.

"I am disappointed because there were many possibilities to score but we just couldn't do it," Calderon continued.

"We need to improve physically but I am very happy about the performance and spirit of the players."