Gamba Osaka coach Akira Nishino admitted his delight after his side booked their place in the Asian Champions League Round of 16.

The J-League club needed just a point to go through to the next phase but their 2-1 win over Korean outfit Suwon Bluewings enabled them to that and also to grab top spot in Group G.

Nishino said it was a great effort by his players after he changed the team around considerably from their last match.

"I'm satisfied," said Nishino.

"We were in a difficult situation and I had to change the team and our playing system but our players had good focus and won the game.

"The top priority for us in today's game was to get through to the next round. Our players fought hard, showed strong determination to win three points and actually achieved that, which made me feel so happy."