Japan's Kashima Antlers progressed to the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League with a comfortable 4-0 win away at Vietnam's Nam Dinh on Wednesday.
Shinzo Korogi (center) of Kashima Antlers of Japan scores past Vietnam's Nam Dinh goalie Tran Thanh Trung during their Asian Champions League match in Hanoi yesterday. Kashima won 4-0 to advance to the quarterfinals at the expense of Beijing Guo'an.
Kashima went into the final matchday of the group round level on points with China's Beijing Guo'an, leaving everything hinging on today's matches. But the showdown turned into an anticlimax as Beijing Guo'an quickly fell to a 0-4 deficit away by the already eliminated Krung Thai Bank of Thailand and ended up losing 5-3.
Beijing's hopes of beating Kashima to top spot in the group quickly unraveled against Krung Thai Bank, which was inspired by striker Nanthawat Thaensopa's four goals.
Krung Thai Bank led 3-0 at halftime, with Nanthawat's brace complemented by another from Peeraphong Pichitchotirat.
Nanthawat made it 4-0 early in the second half.
Jorge Tiago Honorio scored a late hattrick for Beijing Guo'an but it was a little too late for the visitors.
The eight goals in the match took the goals aggregate from the Thai team's six group games to an extraordinary 44.
Kashima joins fellow J-League clubs Gamba Osaka and defending champion Urawa Red Diamonds in the last eight, with Uzbekistan's Kuruvchi and Iran's Saipa also having already booked their quarterfinal berths.