South Korea's players celebrate their goal against Bahrain during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 football match. (Giuseppe CACACE/AFP)

ABU DHABI: Title-chasing South Korea dodged a bullet to reach the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday (Jan 22), while Qatar toppled Iraq 1-0 in a full-blooded Gulf clash.

The Koreans were taken to extra time by tiny Bahrain in Dubai where a thumping header from substitute Kim Jin-su earned them a 2-1 win and dragged the tournament co-favourites through to face Qatar - the team local fans love to hate.