Tokyo Verdy struggled to find their rhythm against Korea Republic’s Suwon, registering just one shot on target from eight attempts – an area Kusunose said his side must improve on.

“Thank you to the players for their hard work. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t win and the match ended 0-0, but I’m relieved that we achieved our goal of finishing top of the group and advancing,” said Kusunose.

“It was also very good that we got through the match without any major injuries. Suwon were strong, of course, but the fact that we couldn’t secure the win shows that we still need to improve if we want to keep competing from here on.

“We will return, prepare properly and move on to the next stage.”

Naegohyang impressively completed their turnaround after a difficult start to book their quarter-final spot.

Successive 3-0 wins against Suwon and ISPE overcame their opening 4-0 defeat to Tokyo Verdy with head coach Ri Yu Il determined to ensure that his team learned from the experience and hit the game running in their last eight tie.

“I’m glad to progress to the next stage,” said Ri. “It’s a chance for the team to advance further.

“What we will go back and do is work on our weaknesses and look to go further in the competition.

“Just like the other teams who qualify, we will aim to be the champions but for us, the focus from now until the quarter-finals will only be on that one match.”

The knockout stage draw takes place on January 15.