AFC Champions League wrap: Win sends Gamba through

Gamba Osaka finished atop their AFC Champions League group following a 2-0 win over Tianjin Teda on Wednesday.

Yasuhito Endo broke the deadlock at Expo 70 Commemorative Stadium in the 73rd minute, before a Takashi Usami spot kick sealed victory for Gamba deep into injury time.

The result ensured the Japanese outfit finished top of Group E, with Teda also qualifying for the knockout stages in second place in the group.

Melbourne Victory finished their Champions League campaign on a positive note, earning a come-from-behind 1-1 draw at Jeju United.

Kim Eun-Jung put the South Koreans ahead after 25 minutes, but Diogo Ferreira’s stunning volley earned parity for the visitors at the Jeju World Cup Stadium.

The match also brought to a close the career of veteran defender Kevin Muscat, as the two-time A-League Championship winner made his last appearance in Melbourne colours.

Neither Melbourne nor Jeju qualified for the next stage.

FC Seoul were already guaranteed of their place in the knockout stages, but were held to a 1-1 draw by Group F cellar-dwellers Hangzhou Lucheng.

Nagoya Grampus had also qualified for the last 16, but finished their group stage in poor fashion, losing 3-1 to Al Ain, who still ended up three points behind the Japanese side in the standings.

Iranian club Esteghal earned a 2-1 win over Al Nasr, of Saudi Arabia, but it was not enough to earn them a top two spot in Group B.

Al Nasr progressed thanks to a superior head-to-head record against the Iranians.

Al Sadd finished on top of the group, unbeaten in six matches, following the Qataris 1-1 draw away to Pakhtakor.

Sepahan, another Iranian outfit, smashed United Arab Emirates club Al Jazira 4-1 away to finish on top of Group A.