Leagues have already concluded in Hong Kong, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, while there remains plenty to play for in Chinese Taipei, Macau and Mongolia.

The precious 2-1 home win cuts Beijing's lead at the top to just two points from the reigning champions and blows the title race wide open with just over a third of the season gone.

Lippi, who vacated the role after China PR were defeated by Islamic Republic of Iran in the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals in late January, is tasked with guiding the team to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

China PR have reached the World Cup only once, in 2002.

Substitute Sho Ito scored twice to earn Kashima a 2-1 win over Shandong Luneng and a place in the next round, when they will play fellow J.League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima over two legs in June.

A further 16 teams – along with Spanish legend Xavi – have now departed the competition. Ahead of the month-long break, here's the-AFC.com's look back at the week in numbers.

Photos: Getty Images

Sleepless nights, title repeats, super subs, hellos and goodbyes all feature as the-AFC.com talks to those involved in the latest edition of the Continent's most presitigious competition.

The J.League side had already secured their passage to the next phase with their final match remaining, and goals from 2018 Asian Games silver medallist Taishi Matsumoto, Yusuke Minagawa and Tsukasa Morishima ensured Jofuku’s side notched up a fifth win in a row in Group F.

“I picked a lot of players who haven't been playing in the J.League,” said Jofuku, who has sought to juggle his squad throughout the group phase. “We've had some issues scoring in the league so we tried to make sure to address that in today's game.

“I thought the match was important because to get through an entire season we need everyone in the squad to contribute and we managed to score three goals. It's an incredible effort.”