The Kashima Antlers lost 1-0 to the Suwon Bluewings in their final Asian Champions League round-robin match Tuesday night, advancing to the knockout stage as runners-up in Group H, while Cerezo Osaka were eliminated from Group G after losing 3-1 to Guangzhou Evergrande.
The J. League side only needed a draw to finish on top of the group, but a 31st-minute goal from Dejan Damjanovic secured the victory and first place for the South Korean club, which came into the tie at Kashima Stadium two points behind the hosts.
Kashima had already confirmed its qualification for the East Region knockout stage following its 2-2 draw against Shanghai Shenhua two weeks ago. The Antlers will host Group F winners Shanghai SIPG in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie on May 9.