Asian Cup 2015: Omar Abdulrahman, Younis Mahmoud score Panenka penalties in tense shootouts

WHAT better way to break the tension in two highly-charged Asian Cup quarter-finals than a couple of Panenka penalties. Enter Omar Abdulrahman and Younis Mahmoud.

WHAT better way to break the tension in two highly-charged Asian Cup quarter-finals than a couple of Panenka penalties.

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And while the confidence of superstars Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa betrayed them just when Japan needed them most, Omar Abdulrahman and Younis Mahmoud showed nerves of steel to help propel their side’s into the final four.

Impressive young United Arab Emirates attacker Abdulrahman - already hard to miss due to his flowing curly locks - has been one of the revelations of the tournament.

And his rising stature was never more evident than his fearless penalty in the shoot-out against Japan at ANZ Stadium.

He made experienced goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima look distinctly average, committing him to move to the right early before deftly chipping straight down the middle.

A couple of hours earlier in Canberra, Mahmoud produced his own brand of showmanship as Iraq edged out their great rivals Iran.

With the shootout poised at a delicate stage, the 31-year-old stepped up and calmly sent Alireza Haghighi the wrong way.

Keisuke Honda couldn’t rise to the occasion for Japan.

Their moments of sheer audacity compare with the inability of Honda and Kagawa to live up to their superstar billing.

Honda - who had converted two penalties earlier in the tournament - blasted his spot kick into the ANZ Stadium stands.

And then Kagawa - essentially needing to score to keep Japan in the hunt - hit the inside of the post and saw the rebound agonisingly dribble across the face of goal.