Eight sides progressed on matchday 5 in the AFC Champions League 2016 with a game to spare, with Zob Ahan, Lekhwiya, Teraktor-Sazi, FC Seoul, Shandong Luneng, Sydney FC, Urawa Red Diamonds and Shanghai SIPG joining the already-qualified El Jaish in the Round of 16. Notably, the tournament's only debutants Shanghai sealed not only progression but also the top place of their pool, while both Teraktor-Sazi and Sydney FC made it to the knockout stage for the first time.
It proved to be a heart-breaking night for some heavyweights, though, with a host of traditional powerhouses going out. Luiz Felipe Scolari's defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande failed to progress beyond the group phase for the first time despite recording their first win. Former winners Pohang and Gamba Osaka, meanwhile, crashed out with losses and Iran's Sepahan were eliminated after losing 4-0 at Al Ittihad. Join FIFA.com as we review the action across Asia on the penultimate matchday.
The match *Gamba Osaka 1-2 Suwon Bluewings *Two heavyweights, 2008 champions Gamba and two-time Asian Club Championship winners Suwon, were pitted against each other in what was a make-or-break match in Group **G**. Considering their pedigree and history, fans should be forgiven for presuming that it had been the group's top-of-the-standings clash. As a matter of fact, though, both sides entered the penultimate game seeking to keep their hopes alive with their first victory.
Hosts Gamba came out strong and they should have taken the lead ten minutes from the break after earning a penalty kick. Unfortunately for Gamba, Takashi Usami was denied by Suwon goalkeeper No Donggeon, and the tide turned in the visitors' favour. Santos would complete a brace after the restart to give Suwon a 2-0 lead, leaving Yasuyuni Konno's late effort no more than a consolation. Gamba went out, while Suwon must hope to beat Shanghai SIPG, who secured progression after defeating Melbourne Victory 3-1 at home.
The surprise *Al Hilal 0-2 Teraktor-Sazi *Group C's Al Hilal entered the match unbeaten in group play. Teraktor-Sazi proved to be an exception, though, defeating the Saudi side 2-0 as they sealed their maiden progression into the knockout stage, having crashing out at the bottom of their group in each of the previous three campaigns. Cameroonian striker Aloys Nong was the visitors’ hero, scoring once and creating another as his side continued their impressive run with a fourth win. In the group's other game, Pakhtakor Tashkent defeated Al Jazira 3-1 as they kept pressure on Al Hilal in the race for the remaining qualifying spot.
The other attractions In Group A, front-runners Lokomotiv Tashkent maintained their one-point cushion at the summit after sharing the spoils in a 1-1 stalemate with hosts Al-Nasr in the top-of-the-table clash. Al Ittihad, meanwhile, revived their hopes with a 4-0 drubbing of Sepahan at home.
In Group B, Zob-Ahan and Lekhwiya joined hands in progression with comfortable wins each. The former downed Al Nassr 3-0 at home to keep their three-point lead, while the latter came away with a 2-0 triumph at Bunyodkor Tashkent.
With El Jaish already qualified, Group D's race for the remaining spot proved ferocious. Al Ain maintained second place in the group despite being held to a 1-1 draw at Nasaf Qarsi. Hot on their heels were Al Ahli, who won 4-1 at El Jaish.
In Group E, Jeonbuk Motors bounced back to win 3-0 at FC Tokyo, with the result sending them to the top at the expense of the Japanese. In the other game, Jiangsu Suning thrashed Becamex Binh Duong by the identical scoreline as they moved to second place. With the top three sides separated by just a point, this group remains wide open with the trio all harbouring hopes of progression.
In Group F, FC Seoul and Shandong Luneng progressed together after prevailing respectively. The K-League hosts saw off Buriram United 2-1 to seal top spot in the group. Shandong, for their part, edged Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 at home as they booked their return to the knockout stage after 11 years.
Gao Lin set up the opening goal and scored the match-winner as Group H's Guangzhou edged past Pohang 2-0 for their first win. However, the three points did little to prevent Luiz Felipe Scolari's side from crashing out with leaders Sydney FC and Urawa Red Diamonds progressing together after playing out a goalless draw. With just two points from the opening four games, in a sense, the holders had only themselves to blame for the early exit.
The player **Elkeson** is among the tournament's most successful players having twice lifted the trophy with Guangzhou Evergrande. Even more impressive is the fact that the Brazilian striker has been a consistent performer on the continental stage. Despite moving to Shanghai SIPG this season, the 26-year-old has clearly not lost his knack for goalscoring, being on target four times in the AFC Champions League as his side sealed the top spot of Group G. He doubled the lead in the 3-1 win against Melbourne with the goal extending his total tally to 19 from four editions.
The stat **2 - **Guangzhou became only the second team to have failed to progress beyond the group phase as defending champions following Western Sydney Wanderers in the last edition.
What they said "I am very satisfied with the game as we secured top spot in the group. If we maintain such performance levels, we can possibly go to the final. Who knows? We can get what we want as long as we play in this way," S**hanghai SIPG head coach Sven Goran Eriksson**
Matchday 5 results *19-20 April** ***Group A: Al-Nasr 1-1Lokomotiv Tashkent, Al Ittihad 4-0 Sepahan Group B: Bunyodkor Tashkent 0-2 Lekhwiya, Zob-Ahan 3-0 Al Nassr Group C: Al Hilal 0-2 Teraktor-Sazi, Al Jazira 1-3 Pakhtakor Tashkent Group D: Nasaf Qarsi 1-1 Al Ain, El Jaish 1-4 Al Ahli Group E: FC Tokyo 0-3 Jeonbuk Motors, Jiangsu Suning 3-0 Becamex Binh Duong Group F: FC Seoul 2-1 Buriram United, Shandong Luneng 1-0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Group G: Gamba Osaka 1-2 Suwon Bluewings, Shanghai SIPG 3-1 Melbourne Victory Group H:** Pohang Steelers 0-2 Guangzhou Evergrande, Sydney FC 0-0 Urawa Red Diamonds