GUANGZHOU: Sydney FC clinched top spot in their Asian Champions League group on Tuesday despite suffering a 1-0 defeat to  last year's winners, Guangzhou Evergrande, in their final match of the first stage. While stumbling at the final hurdle, other results in Sydney's favour ensure the Sky Blues finish Group H as the winners and will avoid a round of 16 match against the high-flying FC Seoul.

"If you said to me before we started in this group of death that we would top the group and be ahead of Guangzhou Evergrande, Urawa Reds and Pohang Steelers, I wouldn't have believed it," Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold said. "But, we've worked really hard and our performances have been excellent."

It was a question of which makeshift side would struggle amid the hot, humid and loud atmosphere at Tianhe Stadium.

Already assured of a place in the knock-out stages, Graham Arnold opted to rest many of those walking suspension tightropes while Brazilian Ricardo Goulart was the only high-profile foreigner starting for Luis Felipe Scolari's team, in the absence of Paulinho and Jackson Martinez.

Despite having nothing to play for and a lack of firepower for the big spending Chinese club, it was the Sky Blues who stumbled first. After just two minutes, Sydney FC showed signs of lack of familiarity and perhaps match fitness when they conceded to Gao Lin who latched on to a superb cross from the left flank.

Midfielder Huang Bowen almost doubled Evergrande's lead soon after when his free piece rattled the upright and the nerves of the Sky Blues, who were desperate to clinch top spot.

The Sky Blues bounced back in the second half with a more calm performance. They managed to keep Guangzhou pegged in their own half for considerable spells and when the hosts broke free, Sydney showed more composure to defend. They learned quickly to drop deep and contain Guangzhou's fast-men out wide and the lack of international

Gao Lin should have doubled his tally with 20 minutes to go from a set piece. The striker rose highest to claim a free header in front of goal though dashed his effort narrowly wide.

The home crowd thought the match was sealed when Yu Hanchao broke through Sydney's backline. Squeezing in between Aaron Calver and Zach Anderson, the winger moved one-on-one with Vedran Janjetovic and showed no signs of nerves as he fired the ball into the net.

However, his celebrations were cut short by the linesman's flag.

Sydney came close to making him pay for his eagerness when George Blackwood's header was tipped over the bar by Liu Dianzou late in the match. A slick passing move involving Blackwood and Brandon O'Neill lead to another opening Sydney failed to finish.

It mattered little in the end as a draw between Pohang and Urawa ensured the Sky Blues topped Asia's group of death while the boisterous crowd ended their otherwise miserable campaign with a night to enjoy.

World Cup winner, Scolari, was impressed by Sydney FC and wouldn't be surprised if they progress past Shandong in the second round.

"We know that [Sydney FC] are actually quite strong and they have unified tactics and strategy," Scolari said. "We have to say that Shandong are a little bit different to the style of Guangzhou Evergrande but they are also quite a capable team so it's very difficult to say who will win in the round of 16 and enter in the further stage."