BARCELONA, Spain, Jan 29 (Kyodo/APP): Japan’s Hiroki Ito was joined by Wataru Endo and Hidemasa Morita in reaching the Champions League last 16 with their respective clubs on Wednesday as the league phase concluded with the top eight of 36 teams securing qualification.
Ito started as left back and played the full 90 minutes in already-qualified Bayern Munich’s 2-1 win at PSV Eindhoven. The German giants finished the league phase second on 21 points, behind only Arsenal who amassed 24 points with eight wins.
Japan captain Endo came off the bench four minutes into the match for Liverpool, replacing injured Jeremie Frimpong at right-back, with a 6-0 home hammering of Qarabag moving them up to 18 points and third in the table.
Midfielder Morita was introduced in the 54th minute for Sporting CP as they trailed by a goal away to Athletic Bilbao. The Portuguese powerhouse grabbed a late 3-2 win to secure qualification in dramatic fashion, finishing seventh on 16 points.
English sides Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City all made the top eight, with Barcelona also through after a 4-1 comeback win at home over Copenhagen.
Japan defender Junnosuke Suzuki played the entire game for the Danish side, who were eliminated following the loss after finishing 31st. Teams who placed between ninth and 24th head to the playoffs, with eight more berths in the knockout phase up for grabs.