The Pohang Steelers confirmed their place in the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Central Coast Mariners on Wednesday afternoon, rendering Tianjin Teda’s shock 3-1 home victory over Kawasaki Frontale later in the evening obsolete.

The Mariners and Tianjin were both four points behind Pohang heading into the match, with the Australians and needing victory to keep alive their hopes of progressing past the group stages.

They began horribly in Korea though, Denilson scoring the first of what would become an impressive hat-trick by converting a penalty won by Yoo Chang-Hyun inside the first ten minutes.

However the A-League side fought their way back into the match after the break, an embarrassing mix-up between Hyung Il-Kim and goalkeeper Hwa-yong Shin gifting Adam Kwasnik a chance with which he equalised.

The same player then saw his superb set-piece delivery from the left touch-line directly produce a goal, the ball sneaking in at the far post after having evaded a cluster of bodies inside the penalty area.

But, for all of their attacking endeavour, it was the characteristic defensive errors that again undid the Mariners. Denilson took advantage of an immobile defensive line to crash home an equaliser on 71 minutes.

Dean Heffernan then hit the post for the visitors with a looping header – the closest the Mariners would come to an upset at the Steelyard Stadium as Denilson popped up to score the winner in the final minute of normal time, thus securing Pohang’s place in next stage of the competition.

Meanwhile in Tianji, Ma Leilei’s first have double inspired the Chinese Super League outfit to a 3-1 win over group leaders Kawasaki Frontale.

Renatinho pulled a goal back for the visitors just five minutes into the second half before former Italy international Damiano Tommasi sealed the points in the dying stages.