Guangzhou Evergrande's head coach Fabio Cannavaro gestures during the AFC Champions League group stage football match between China's Guangzhou Evergrande and Japan's Cerezo Osaka in Guangzhou in China's southern Guangdong province on April 17, 2018. AFP
SEOUL, South Korea: Fabio Cannavaro led Guangzhou Evergrande into the knockout round of the Asian Champions League on Tuesday.
Brazilian midfielder Alan Carvalho scored two goals in Guangzhou's 3-1 win over Japanese club Cerezo Osaka in Group G. Huang Bowen also scored for Guangzhou, while Takaki Fukumitsu briefly equalized for the visitors.
Cannavaro, a former Italy captain who won the World Cup in 2006, is in his second stint as coach of the Chinese club.
"We did what we had to do," Cannavaro said. "We have qualified for the next stage but we know that we still have a lot of work to do."
Guangzhou, winner of the last seven Chinese league titles, is a two-time continental champion and was unbeaten in the group stage.
Only the top two teams from the eight groups advance to the last 16.
Thai club Buriram United finished second in the group and also advanced. The team beat South Korean club Jeju United 1-0 with Korrakot Wiriyaudomsiri scoring the lone goal.
Group H
Suwon Bluewings 1, Kashima Antlers 0
Dejan Damjanovic scored a first-half goal to give South Korean team Suwon Bluewings a 1-0 victory over Japanese club Kashima Antlers in Group H, but both teams advanced.
Sydney FC 0, Shanghai Shenhua 0
Australian champion Sydney FC was eliminated after a 0-0 draw with last-place Shanghai Shenhua.
