Dejan Damjanovic's first-half goal on Tuesday put Suwon Samsung Bluewings into the last 16 of the AFC Champions League with a 1-0 at Kashima Antlers, who had already qualified.

The win meant the South Korean side qualified for the knockout phase as winners of Group H with the Japanese club in second.

Sydney FC missed out in third place after they could only draw 0-0 with bottom side Shanghai Shenhua in Tuesday's final round of matches.

Suwon silenced the home fans in the 30th minute when prolific marksman Damjanovic stuck out his right boot at a Waguininho free-kick and deflected it past a stranded 'keeper Kwoun Sun-tae into the Kashima goal.

Waguininho almost doubled Suwon's advantage on the stroke of half-time when sent clear by Montenegrin international Damjanovic, but this time Kwoun thrust out a strong left hand to push the Brazilian's low shot past the post.

Damjanovic had the ball in the net again in the second half from a 60th minute corner, only to hear the referee blow for a foul by a Suwon player in the box.

Sydney, who kicked off at the same time, needed to win at home against the already eliminated Chinese Super League side Shenhua and hope that Kashima could beat Suwon.

But despite creating a series of chances, they exited with a whimper after failing to break down an under-strength Shenhua, who had travelled without star strikers Nigerian Obafemi Martins and Colombian Fredy Guarin.

The runaway A-League leaders have now won only one of their last 10 games in the AFC Champions League, managing just two clean sheets, and have not managed to win any of their last five home matches in the competition.

In later matches to decide the East Zone's Group G, two-times Champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande of China were playing Cerezo Osaka of Japan and Buriram United of Thailand were facing Jeju United in South Korea.