TEHRAN, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran soccer head coach Carlos Queiroz praised China's progress and urged his men not to waste any chance to win the upcoming match against China in the Asian Cup quarterfinals.

Iran beat Oman 2-0 on Sunday to set up a last-8 match against China, which defeated Thailand 2-1, on Jan. 24 at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.

"We know how much the China team has progressed, especially under (head coach) Marcello Lippi. It will be another difficult game, as will all the matches going forward," Queiroz was quoted as saying by local reports.

"We cannot waste chances like we did against Oman, we must play with a killer instinct and we need to put the ball in the net," he said.

"In knockout football it is important to kill the game early, it gives you a tremendous advantage. The most important thing for the next game is to be calmer, to be smarter," he added.