Hopes for a second Japanese club to reach the 2018 AFC Champions League knockout stage ended in a whimper on Tuesday night as Cerezo Osaka lost 3-1 at Guangzhou Evergrande, giving last season’s Emperor’s Cup winners a third place finish in Group G.
Fielding essentially a reserve squad, Cerezo were overwhelmed in the second half by Brazilian striker Alan, who scored his third and fourth goals of the group stage to propel the Chinese champions to the top of the group.
The result made Cerezo the third Japanese club to exit the tournament in the group stage, following Kashiwa Reysol and Kawasaki Frontale whose exits were confirmed in the fifth round of play. Only Kashima Antlers, who finished Group H in second place after a 1-0 home loss to Suwon Bluewings on Tuesday night, will advance to the Round of 16. There they will face either Shanghai SIPG or Ulsan Hyundai.
It is only the second time that Japan have failed to send at least two clubs to the ACL’s knockout stage since 2009, when the country was first given four spots in the competition. The previous time was in 2013, when Kashiwa Reysol defeated Jeonbuk Motors in the Round of 16 and Al-Shabab in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champions Guangzhou Evergrande in the semifinals.
Despite the accomplishments 2017 champions Urawa Reds, Japan’s recent mixed record in the continental competition is expected to lead to the loss of another direct berth in the group stage in 2019, raising the possibility that two clubs could enter from the playoff stage.
