Tianjin secures last 16 spot
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Tianjin Teda keeper Yang Qipeng (back) makes a save during their AFC Champions League match against Jeju United yesterday. |
Japan's Nagoya Grampus, South Korea's Seoul and China's Tianjin Teda reached the last 16 of the Asian Champions League with victories in the next-to-last round of group games yesterday.
Nagoya midfielder Jungo Fujimoto converted a penalty in the 77th minute as Dragan Stojkovic's side overcame the absence of several injured first-choice players to beat China's Hangzhou Greentown 1-0.
The result eliminated Hangzhou from contention.
In the tightly contested Group E match, Tianjin progressed after a 3-0 home win over South Korea's Jeju United.
Tianjin's opening two goals came from corners. In the eighth minute, Argentine forward Luciano Olguin rose above the defense to head home, then in the 21st an unmarked Wu Weian was first to a rebound to shoot into an empty net.
It should have been 3-0 before the break, but Olguin's tap-in of a cross by Wu was incorrectly ruled out for offside. The Chinese club sealed the three points in the 75th minute when Chen Tao sprinted clear after a defender misjudged a header, and was brought down by Jeju goalkeeper Kim Ho-jun. Cao Yang converted the spot kick.
In the other Group F match, Seoul had a 3-0 win over Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates.
Midfield Han Ko-yo scored the opener in the 17th minute, and Montenegrin striker Dejan Damjanovic made it 2-0 in the 40th. Damjanovic capped the night with his second in the 73rd.
Nagoya and Seoul lead the group with a game to play.
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