Nagoya Grampus' Mateus vies for the ball during an Asian Champions League match against Johor Darul Ta'zim on July 4, 2021 in Bangkok.(Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nagoya Grampus reached the knockout stage of the Asian Champions League for the first time in nine years after beating Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia 2-1 on Sunday, their fifth straight win, clinching the top spot in Group G.

       Brazilian winger Mateus won a penalty and scored from the spot just four minutes in at Rajamangala Stadium in Thailand before Hiroyuki Abe curled into the far corner with a superb left-footed effort from the edge of the box in the 28th minute.

       Nagoya conceded for the first time in the campaign three minutes before the break, Ramadhan Saifullah Usman tapping in a rebound after keeper Mitch Langerak could only parry a fierce 30-meter drive from La'Vere Corbin-Ong.

       Ahmad Hazwan Bakri hit the bar in the 62nd minute for Johor, but Nagoya saw things out and reached the knockout round of the tournament for the fourth time in their history.

       Gamba Osaka remain second in Group H, meanwhile, after they were held to their third draw in four games, their game with Chiangrai United ending 1-1 at Lokomotiv Stadium in Tashkent.

       Felipe Amorim's half volley from close range gave the Thai outfit the lead in the sixth minute. Shinya Yajima leveled nine minutes into the second half when his deflected shot looped over the head of the opposing keeper.

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