With 9.5 million people along for the journey, Tajikistan and coach Petar Segrt are daring to dream of capping off their first Asian Cup round-of-16 appearance with an upset win over the United Arab Emirates.
Tajikistan snuck into the knock-outs for the first time with a dramatic comeback win over Lebanon in their final group game but they face a stern test against the 2019 semi-finalists at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Sunday.
It is the young nation's first major tournament since securing independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
