Adelaide United have booked their spot in the Asian Champions League Round of 16 thanks to a 0-0 draw with Bunyodkor at Hindmarsh Stadium.
The result allowed the Reds to maintain top spot on the Group E table with 10 points from five group stage matches which sees them one ahead of Pohang Steelers and three clear of Bunyodkor with the aforementioned pair to play each other in the final match.
Adelaide assistant Luciano Trani was delighted with the result produced by the Reds players who now get to have a crack at the knockout stage despite a poor A-League season.
"It's a great achievement and I look at it this way - we haven't failed, in fact it has been a success.
"Some tournaments around the world, clubs will always try to do everything they can to win every trophy but sometimes it's too difficult.
"We're in this particular competition now that we find ourselves in the top 16 clubs in Asia and that's a huge benefit to the club. The branding of Adelaide United continues in Asia and that's a reputation that will hold for years to come.""We've qualified for the second round of the AFC Champions League so the objective was pretty much achieved tonight which is a good thing," Trani said.
Adelaide will now prepare for their final group stage match against bottom-placed Gamba Osaka, their 2008 final opponents, on May 16 for the chance to finish on top.
