Gamba Osaka reach final eight

Gamba Osaka’s Satoshi Yamaguchi in action [GALLO/GETTY]

Japan’s Gamba Osaka has become the first team to progress to the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League after its 2-0 away win over Thailand’s Chonburi.

The win put Gamba on 13 points from five games, eight points clear of its nearest Group G rival with only one game to play and one team from each group
to go into the last eight.

Also on Wednesday, Adelaide United and Kashima Antlers both won to move to the brink of qualification for the quarterfinals.

Chonburi would have stayed alive in the competition with a victory, and tested Gamba, which had to wait until the 65th minute for the opening goal when substitute Masato Yamazaki headed home.

Lucas Severino secured the result in the 76th minute.

Gamba joins fellow Japanese club Urawa Reds in the last eight, with the defending champion having received a bye through the group stage.

Also in Group F, Chunnam’s faint hopes of reaching the quarterfinals ended when it was held to a 1-1 home draw by already-eliminated Melbourne Victory.

Only a win would have kept the South Korean club in with a chance of catching Group G leaders Gamba Osaka.

Melbourne took the lead in the fourth minute through Tommy Pondeljak, with striker Koh Ki-goo equalising before half time when his distant cross floated
into the Melbourne net.

One more point needed: Diego Walsh of Adelaide United [GALLO/GETTY]

Adelaide move to within a point of history

Adelaide United edged South Korea’s Pohang Steelers 1-0 and now needs only a point in its last group match to become the first Australian club to ever reach the quarterfinals.

Brazilian Diego’s right-foot strike in the 63rd minute won the game for Adelaide, but he also picked up a yellow card that will keep him out of the
deciding game.

Adelaide has 13 points from five matches, two clear of China’s Changchun Yatai, which has 11 points. The two teams meet in China for the final game.

Only a win for Changchun can prevent Adelaide going through.

Changchun had a 5-1 away win over last-placed Vietnamese team Binh Duong on Wednesday.

Wang Bo put the visitors ahead with a header in the second minute, with Guillaume Dah Zadi and Chen Lei making it 3-0 at the break.

A Yang Fe freekick and a Samuel Caballero penalty completed the scoring.

Kashima Antlers’ Yuzo Tashiro, right, celebrates with Shinzo Koroki [AFP]

Big win for Kashima

In Group F, Kashima Antlers overwhelmed Thailand’s Krung Thai Bank 8-1 to all but guarantee a quarterfinal berth.

Takuya Nozawa scored two goals as Kashima remained atop the group with 12 points.

Kashima only has to win its final match at modest Nam Dinh of Vietnam in two weeks’ time to be the third Japanese team into the last eight.

The Antlers were 3-0 up by halftime, and two goals inside five minutes of the second half set up a rout.

The defeat ended Krung Thai’s remote quarterfinal hopes, with the Bangkok club’s five matches having seen an extraordinary 36 goals scored.

Beijing Guoan had a 3-0 home win over Nam Dinh to remain level on points with Kashima.

However the Japanese club’s far superior goal difference meant it only had to match its Chinese rival’s result in the final round of games to make the quarters.

Guo Hui put Beijing Guoan ahead from the penalty spot and Wang Chengqing doubled the advantage before the break.

Yang Hao completed the scoring in the 78th minute, but the visitors were reduced to ten men when Wang Ke was sent off just before full time.