Inaugural champions Al Ain signed off their 2011 AFC Champions League campaign with a 3-1 win over Japan’s Nagoya Grampus, a result ended the visitors’ hopes of topping Group F.

With Grampus and Seoul FC level on 10 points before the game, the Japanese were keen to win and seal a home tie in the last 16 after the Koreans could only draw at Hangzhou Greentown.

But a young Al Ain side led 2-0 at the break and then completed a fine 3-1 win to lift their struggling form and morale ahead of some crucial games in the UAE Pro League.

It was Grampus who attacked first as Makito Yoshida shot too high early in the game.

The Japanese had another chance before Al Ain settled down and this time Yoshizumi Ogawa played a one-two with Kensuke Nagai but lifted his final effort over the bar.

After Genta Matsuo then failed to utilise a good chance when Ogawa found him on the right but his first-time shot flew across the goalmouth.

In the 21st minute, it was Al Ain who drew first blood and the goal came from a classy move.

Bandar Al Ahbabi found Ibrahima Keita with a forward pass and the Cote d’Ivoire player helped it forward to the advancing Al Ahbabi. He then found Hamad Al Merri who volleyed into the far corner from outside the box giving the keeper no chance.

Grampus midfielder Koji Hashimoto could have done better in the 24th minute but he shot wide and 11 minutes, later the visitors missed again when Ogawa beat Dawood Sulaiman to the ball but his header was way off the mark.

The hosts then stunned Grampus with another superbly executed goal.

In the 38th minute Al Ain’s Elias sent Valentin Badea down the left and then raced into the box to receive the return pass and flick it home for a 2-0 lead.

The Japanese, however, struck soon after the break when a long ball caught the Al Ain defence on the backfoot and Jungo Fujimoto reduced the margin.

But Al Ain restored their two-goal cushion in the very next minute when Genta Matsuo brought down Haddaf Abdullah inside the box and a penalty was awarded. Elias coolly slammed the ball into the roof of the net for his second goal and Al Ain were 3-1 up.

Grampus tried their best to get back into the game and peppered the rival box with some dangerous crosses but with Suleiman solid in goal and defenders Muahannad Al Enzi and Mussalam Faiz quick to thwart any danger, the hosts held on much to the delight of their fans.

Two goals from Dejan Damjanovic helped FC Seoul to a 3-0 win over Al Ain on Wednesday that booked the K-League team a place in the second round of the 2011 AFC Champions League.

An early opener from Go Yo-han laid the platform for the Montenegrin international to score a goal in each half and send 23, 623 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium home happy as the Korea Republic champions reached the knockout stage for the second time in three years.

The only issue remaining with one game to go in Group F is whether Seoul or Nagoya Grampus with finish top as both are level on 10 points.

Seoul took the lead after 15 minutes. Mauricio Molina found space on the left wing and while his low cross was mis-controlled by Damjanovic on the edge of the area, it ran through to Go who, standing on the left side of the dee, lifted the ball over Ismail Rabee and into the Al Ain goal.

Seoul continued to press for a second and came close just past the half hour as Lee Sung-ryeol danced around two defenders just outside the area to unleash a powerful shot that the Al Ain goalkeeper did well to keep out.

It eventually came six minutes before the break and in some style. Koh Myung-ji curled in a delightful ball from the left side that eluded the UAE defenders standing on the edge of the six-yard box but not the diving Damjanovic, whose powerful header gave the goalkeeper no chance.

The second-half started quietly though Al Ain began to see more of the ball. Just past the hour, the inaugural ACL champions missed a glorious chance to pull a goal back. Khaled Abdulrahman’s cross from the left touchline floated over the head of the Seoul goalkeeper leaving Abdulaziz Fayez with just a simple tap-in. Incredibly the substitute pulled his shot wide from close range.

Any hope for Al Ain was extinguished with 17 minutes remaining. Damjanovic beat the goalkeeper to a lobbed ball into the area from Koh and his header looped over Rabee and bounced into the net to remove any doubt as to the outcome of the contest.

Nagoya Grampus sealed a place in the round of 16 in the 2011 AFC Champions League after Jungo Fujimoto’s second-half penalty clinched a 1-0 win over Hangzhou Greentown at Mizuho Athletic Stadium in Nagoya.

Without key players Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Mu Kanzaki and Josh Kennedy, Nagoya struggled to find their rhythm, particularly going forward.

Hangzhou failed to create much and their only chance over the first 45 minutes came just before the half-hour mark when Sebastian Vazquez fired a free-kick from midrange that was not good enough to trouble Nagoya goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki.

The game picked up in the second-half when Hangzhou brought on Luis Ramirez and Wang Song to inject some life up front.

The J.League champions responded and came close in the 51st minute when Tamada met a Makito Yoshida cross with his left foot at the far post but fired wide before finding the back of the net from Nagai’s pass but the goal was ruled out for offside.

The hosts were given a scare in the 66th minute when Du Wei met Wang’s corner with a header but Narazaki reacted well to protect his goal. The Chinese visitors came close again four minutes later when Wang fired wide from the edge of the box.

In the 73rd minute, replacement Hikaru Kuba was brought down by Hangzhou goalkeeper Rong Hao in the box after he had latched on to a through ball from Fujimoto.

Fujimoto took the spot kick himself and found the left corner of the net to make the crucial breakthrough.

Goals from Mu Kanazaki and Kensuke Nagai gave Nagoya Grampus a 2-0 win at FC Seoul to put the Japanese champions on top of Group F in the 2011 AFC Champions League.

After Kanazaki’s first-half opener, the Korea Republic title-holders threw everything at the visitors for much of an entertaining match but a defensive blunder late in the game allowed Nagai to make sure of a valuable three points.

In the 26th minute, the Japanese team were ahead. A ball was played behind the defence for Ogawa to shoot from just outside the six-yard box. Goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae blocked the initial shot but could do little as Kanazaki was first to the loose ball and hammered it into the net from close range.

After the setback, Seoul began to look more dangerous. On the half-hour, Narazaki was struggling once again to keep out a long-range Server Djeparov shot but ultimately managed to keep the Korea Republic team at bay.

FC Seoul had a great chance just before the break. Damjanovic headed the ball back to Molina just inside the area and the former Colombia international had time to pick his spot but dragged his low shot wide of the Nagoya left-hand post.

In the second-half, Seoul continued to have the lion’s share of possession and shots but were unable to find the end product. However just when Seoul’s pressure looked set to tell, a defensive blunder allowed Nagoya to seal the win with eight minutes remaining.

Kim Tae-hwan’s backpass in the direction of the goalkeeper was never going to reach its intended target and Nagai nipped in to slide the ball into an empty net to end the game.

A brilliant strike by youngster Omar Abdulrahman helped hosts Al Ain beat China’s Hangzhou Greentown 1-0 and revives their chances of reaching the knockout stage of the 2011 AFC Champions League.

Victory for the inaugural AFC Champions League winners moved them level with Hangzhou and three points adrift of joint leaders FC Seoul and Nagoya Grampus to give Group F a wide open look with two rounds of matches to play.

Al Ain started off on the right note with their midfield four of Elias, Omar Abdulrahman, Ramy Yaslam and Ibrahima Keita controlling proceedings.

Hangzhou’s first attempt came in the 29th minute when the muscular Honduran Luis Ramirez worked his way into the box, dribbled past a defender but before he could unleash his shot Mussalem Fayez thwarted him.

Al Ain could have gone ahead in the 38th minute when an Elias free-kick deflected into the path of Mohammed Ayed but the Al Ain defender failed to score from the rebound.

Al Ain launched a swift counter-attack and after an exchange of passes, Al Waheebi crossed to Abdulrahman on the left and the latter unleashed a first-time shot that flew into the far corner.

Badea missed another chance to extend the lead in the 69th minute when, with the goalkeeper having been drawn out of position by Abdulrahman, the former fired over with an empty goal at his mercy.

Nagoya Grampus 1-1 FC Seoul
J. League champions Nagoya Grampus let slip a first-half lead as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Korean counterparts FC Seoul in their Group F 2011 AFC Champions League clash.

FC Seoul were the most aggressive from the beginning with Mauricio Molina’s movement up front causing problems and the Columbian international went close with a couple of good attempts in the early exchanges.

It was Nagoya who went in front just before the quarter of an hour mark. Nagai stole the ball in midfield and surged up the pitch, beating two men before breaking into the box. He then lobbed the advancing goalkeeper to score the opening goal for the game.

Nagoya controlled much of the midfield and FC Seoul resorted to hitting long balls towards their dangerous striking duo of Molina and Montenegrin forward Dejan Damjanovic.

Seoul began to get more of a foothold at the start of the second period as they started to win the midfield battle and pressure the home side.

Server Djeparov created a chance for Go Yo-han when he dribbled past a couple of Nagoya players and fed the midfielder but his shot from the edge of the box was saved by Seigo Narazaki.

FC Seoul leveled just after the hour when Choi beat the Nagoya keeper from mid-range with a powerful effort.

Although the second goal gave the game more life it was not enough to produce a 3rd and decisive goal.

Hangzhou Greentown 0-0 Al Ain
Hangzhou Greentown and Al Ain played out a goalless draw in an AFC Champions League Group F contest.

Sebastian Vazquez created the first clear chance after 21 minutes, driving Ramirez’s lay-off over the frame of the Al Ain goal from 30 yards.

Matias Masiero’s free-kick then picked out Du Wei but the Chinese international defender headed the ball straight at goalkeeper Rabee.

Six minutes after the half-hour mark, Omar Abdulrahman called Hangzhou keeper Jiang Bo into action with a long-range effort that was collected by the custodian with ease.

Masiero collected a loose ball on the edge of the box but steered the ball over the bar and the hosts had a first goal in sight five minutes before the interval when Ramirez latched onto a cross from Rong Hao, beat two defenders and passed the ball into the path of Shen, who blazed over.

Midway through the second-half, Rong clipped a beautifully-weighted pass across the face of the goal, only to see Ramirez head wide.

The visitors were then indebted to their keeper six minutes before the final whistle to ensure they shared the points.

Du rose higher than any defender to flick on Wang Song’s free-kick and Ramirez nodded the ball goalwards from five yards out but Rabee made a superb reflex save to tip the ball over the bar.

FC Seoul 3-0 Hangzhou Greentown
FC Seoul took control of Group F of the 2011 AFC Champions League with a 3-0 win over Hangzhou Greentown.

It was FC Seoul who took the lead with the first real shot of the game after quarter of an hour.

Lee Jae-an battled with Adam Griffiths just inside the area with Griffith’s sliding tackle presenting the ball to Damjanovic around the penalty spot and the Montenegrin marksman coolly slotted into the back of the net.

Hangzhou were on top and in control of the midfield area but were struggling to create clear chances.

They almost equalised before the break, when a corner was cleared only as far as Bali Maimaitiyili. The striker let fly with a half-volley from 30 meters out but saw it rebound off the crossbar.

The second-half started in similar fashion though Seoul came close to extending their lead six minutes after the restart.

A weak defensive header fell to Oh just inside the area and the young winger’s shot clipped the crossbar on its way out of play.

FC Seoul doubled their lead in style in the 70th minute. Go Yo-han chipped a long ball over the defense for the onrushing Oh to volley into the net from just inside the area.

Damjanovic should have made the game safe for Seoul three minutes later. Oh’s cross from the right bounced all the way through to the former Incheon striker inside the six-yard area but his header landed in the grateful arms of keeper Jiang Bo.

The final goal came with 10 minutes remaining. Damjanovic slipped the ball through the defense for Mauricio Molina who fired a left-foot shot into top corner with virtually his first kick of the game.

Hangzhou Greentown (2-0) Nagoya Grampus
Substitute Ba Li gave Hangzhou Greentown a dream start to their AFC Champions League debut as he scored one and set up another to help the Chinese side stun Japanese champions Nagoya Grampus 2-0 in their Group F opener.

Ba provided the assist for Luis Ramirez just after being brought onto the pitch just after the hour mark before scoring his side’s second five minutes before time when Hangzhou looked desperate to protect their slender lead.

The ACL debutants’ outplayed and outsmarted the visitors, particularly in the first half, with the Ramirez and Sebastian Vazquez proving constant threats to the Nagoya defence.

Midway through the first half, Vasquez headed Wang Song’s inviting cross straight at Narazaki from the far post before the Uruguayan’s 30-yard strike was collected by the keeper one minute later.

Nagoya finally had a sniff of goal in the 30th minute when the unmarked Marcus Tulio Tanaka latched onto a free-kick by Jungo Fujimoto, only to see his powerful 15-yard drive fly over the bar.

Nagoya came out strong in the second half and were holding onto the ball more and Josh Kennedy and Tamada both fired two long-range efforts, though neither attempt was strong enough to threaten Jiang.

One minute before the hour mark, Ba replaced Shen and the substitution paid dividends soon after the switch.

The youngster collected Sun Ji’s pass in the box before clipping the ball across the face of the goal with Ramirez reacting quickly to shoot past Narazaki.

The goal sparked Nagoya to life as the visitors intensified attack to seek an equaliser and Masukawa looked for an immediate reply but his header flew just wide.

Ba locked up the victory with a spectacular strike from the right that deceived Narazaki, who thought it was a cross meant for team-mates, only to see the ball loop over him before hitting the back of the net.

Al Ain (0-1) FC Seoul
Hosts Al Ain losed one nil to K-League champions FC Seoul in their opening AFC Champions League Group F match.

The visitors missed a good chance in the 10th minute when striker Mauricio Molina was left unmarked inside the box but the Colombian mis-hit his volley and let Al Ain off the hook.

Seconds later it was Seoul’s turn to breathe a sigh of relief when Omar Abdulrahman took advantage of a defensive lapse inside the box to bear down on goal but the young UAE star shot into the side netting with only keeper Kim Young-dae to beat.

The Seoul midfield, led by Uzbekistan skipper Server Djeparov and Brazilian Adilson (Adilson dos Santos), combined well to ensure the hosts were under not insignificant pressure.

Damjanovic struck in the 24th minute by cushioning a long pass and then fire home from close range and ensure the Koreans went in at the break a goal to the good.

UAE national team star Ali Al Wehaibi, who had a good game, was pushed by Seoul skipper Kim Dong-jin and the referee pointed to the spot.

Elias took his time and aimed low to the right of Korean keeper Kim but he pulled off a fine save to ensure Al Ain’s misery continued as FC Seoul were able to close out the game and get their 2011 AFC Champions League campaign off to a winning start.

Today we move on to Group F and the East of the AFC Asian Champions League 2011.

Group F is made up of the following teams:

• FC Seoul (Kor)
• Hangzhou Greentown (Chn)
• Nagoya Grampus (Jpn)
• Winner East

FC Seoul
Winners of the 2010 J League, this is likely Japan’s best hope for 2011 ACL Champions League. Coming off the winter off season all of the J League teams will be slightly rusty but the professionalism of the J League will ensure that each team will be ready for a new domestic and ACL season. Given a J league team hasn’t won the tournament for a few years, pressure will be on to at least have a J League team into the final for 2011.

Hangzhou Greentown
Hangzhou finished 4th in the 2010 Chinese Super League, only 2 points behind second on a very competitive and close season, Their 4th finish included 13 wins, 9 draws and 8 loses. Hangzhou didn’t compete in the 2010 ACL competitions so will be looking to make the most of this opportunity. With Nagoya and FC Seoul in the same Group Hangzhou has it’s work cut out for it to make it through the group stage.

Nagoya Grampus
Nagoya were clearly the best team in Japan in 2010 winning Division 1 of the J League by 10 points, with 18 wins, 9 draws and only 3 losses. Even though they didn’t compete in the 2010 ACL, I would consider them a real threat this year, particularly on last year’s form. Group F is a tough group containing both the K and J league champions, so clearly a top 2 position is available when you consider that Hangzhou finished 4th domestically last year. Should make for some very tight home and away matches.

Group F had already been decided before today’s play, with Kashima Antlers and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors having already qualified for the second round. The two met today to settle who would qualify in top spot and meet Pohang Steelers in the knockout stage.

Kashima Antlers 2–1 Jeonbuk FC

Kashima boss Oswaldo Oliveira signaled his objective in the pre-match press conference that his team was not looking for a draw, despite only needing not to lose to earn the all important advantage of “playing at home next round.”

The Antlers went 2 – 0 up in the first-half. Korea Republic defender Lee Jung-soo headed the home side ahead from a Takuya Nozawa corner after 20 minutes before Nozawa doubled their lead two minutes later when his fine volley flew past Kwoun Suntae in the Jeonbuk goal. With 10 minutes remaining Jin Kyung-sun pulled a goal back but with the win Kashima topped their group.

“I’m very happy with this result. I think we deserved the 100% record,” said Oliveira at full-time. “We played just enough to be in the position we are in, this is a result of our hard work we have put in up to now.”

Persipura 2–0 Changchun Yatai

Indonesia Super League champs Persipura Jayapura have had a very difficult ride this year, having lost all five of their Group F games. They were however still eager to score a victory. Eduard Ivakdalam’s close range finish got the hosts on their way shortly before the half-hour mark and Tinus Pae made it 2 – 0 with 20 to go.

Group E

Kawasaki Frontale 3-0 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

Kawasaki Frontale have given themselves a great chance of advancing by beating Seongnam 3 – 0 at home. They now travel to Beijing Gouan on the final matchday only one point behind the Chinese Super League team, with the winner progressing alongside Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.

Frontale were two goals ahead by the 20 minute mark. Hiroyuki Taniguchi opened the scoring after five minutes and Yusuke Tasaka doubled the lead 15 minutes after. It remained 2 – 0 until the 79th minute when Renatinho scored the third.

Melbourne Victory 0-0 Beijing Gouan

Melbourne earned their first draw and fourth point of the group stage. The 1 point however, wasn’t enough to keep them in contention. Beijing missed the chance to go three points clear of Kawasaki and instead face the Japanese in a winner takes all shootout on matchday 6.

Group F

Changchun Yatai 0-1 Kashima Antlers

Kashima scored in the first half through Shinzo Koroki to see off Changchun Yatai on matchday five in the AFC Champions League. Shinzo pounced upon a Samuel Caballero error in the 37th minute to put it past the goalkeeper.

Kashima have an unbeaten record so far in the competition and will be a great match-up in the round of 16 where they will either face Pohang Steelers or Adelaide United.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 8-0 Persipura Jayapura

Persipura Jayaspura received another hiding in Match Day 5. The Indonesian minnows were hammered 8-0 by K-League outfit, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Eninho, Park Won Jae and a Lee Dong Gook penalty put the hosts well in the clear by half time. Eninho and Jung Jin Seo added the fourth and fifth goals just after half-time before 3 goals in the space of 10 minutes made it eight.

Jeonbuk are set to face the winners of Group H in the last 16 should they fail to claim all three points at Kashima on matchday 6. Persipura remain pointless with a goal difference they surely can’t be proud of.

Group A
AFC Asian Champions League Group A was settled today, with Esteghlal securing their qualification with a home win over Al Ahli while a hat-trick from Brazilian Araujo meant that Al Gharafa now also progress.

Esteghlal 2–1 Al Ahli

Esteghlal booked their spot in the round of 16 thanks to a 2-1 victory over Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran.

Mehdi Salehi put the hosts ahead after 25 minutes, shooting past Yasser Al Mosailem in the Al Ahli goal. Brazilian Victor Simoes equalised from the penalty spot ten minutes later before Amirhossein Saghedi headed Esteghlal into the final 16 right on half-time.

Al Gharafa 4-2 Al-Jazira

Former Cruzeiro striker Araujo has been a revelation since joining the Cheetahs in 2007 and he was the hero again this evening, striking a hat-trick to sink UAE League outfit Al-Jazira and sending Al Gharafa into the knockout stages.

The Brazilian headed his first on 11 minutes, leaping to nod home a Juninho cross, and then doubled the lead five minutes before the break. Any hope Al-Jazira had of a comeback were quickly quashed when the Brazilian hitman completed his hat-trick a minute after the break, latching onto a mistake from Jazira goalkeeper Ali Kashief Housani. By the time Otman El Assas made it four shortly after the hour mark, the game was already up. Former Betis striker Rafael Sobis pulled one back for the visitors before Ali Albloushi grabbed a second consolation in the final minute.

Group B
Hassan Amin’s scored the only goal of the game in the 71st minute to give Al Wahda an unexpected win over group leaders Zobahan.

Al Wahda 1-0 Zobahan

Al Wahda hasn’ had a good tournament so far sitting last in Group B. Iran’s Zobahan, meanwhile, have been one of the stand-out performers of this season’s competition, having achieved an unexpected double over Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Bunyodkor.

The hosts made a thrilling start to the game and should have had the game won at half-time. They finally scored in the 71st minute thanks to a fine solo effort from Amin to clinch a bit of pride for the 2007 semi-finalists.

Al-Ittihad 1–1 Bunyodkor

Bunyodkor were hoping for an improved performance this week after 2 straight defeats. Scolari knew defeat would all but eliminate them. The hosts went ahead through a 37th minute penalty, however, Aziz Haydarov’s equaliser just after the hour was enough to clinch a point and save the day. All will now be decided on matchday six when Bunyodkor host Al Wahda and Al-Ittihad travel to Iran to face Zobahan.

Match Day 4 Tuesday of the AFC Champions League 2010 resulted in some upsets and wake up calls for many teams that had a easy road so far.

Group B

Zob Ahan have managed 2 major upsets in a matter of weeks against the Uzbek aristocrats Bunyodkor on Tuesday.

They followed up their MD3 3-0 home victory with a 1-0 win that takes them to the top of the table with 10 points and sends Bunyodkor tumbling down to third, with six points.

Al Ittihad, of Saudi Arabia, move to second on seven points after their 4-0 victory over bottom side Al Wahda, of UAE.

Mohammad Khalatbari took advantage of a goalkeeping error to score Zob Ahan’s winner in the first half as Bunyodkor finished the match with 10 men after their Brazilian star Rivaldo was sent off for a high challenge.

Two-time champions Al Ittihad were in fine form at home with Saud Kariri scoring twice and Abdelmalik Ziaya and Sultan Al Numare also finding the net.

Group D

Mes Kerman crushed the hopes of Al Sadd by sealing their last 16 place on MD4. Mes avenged their defeat from last week by winning 3-1.

After Khalfan Ibrahim gave Al Sadd the lead after seven minutes, Mes came storming back with goals from Brazilian Edinho, Ali Samareh and Paulo Zaltron.

Korean international Lee Young-pyo was Hilal’s hero as he scored the winner in injury time in Dubai. Yasser Al Qahtani and Christian Wilhelmsson had earlier given Hilal a 2-0 lead after only 16 minutes before the home side fought back through Ahmed Khalil and Cesar to make it 2-2.

Group F

Kashima Antlers have qualified for the round of 16 after beating Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapura 3-1.

Jeonbuk, are also mathematically guaranteed a place in the next round.

All goals in the Kashima-Persipura match came in the first half. Yasushi Endo gave Kashima the lead against a side who had conceded 14 in their previous two matches.

Yustina Pae equalised for Persipura for their second goal of the competition before Shinzo Korogi and Atsuto Uchida made it safe for the Antlers.

Korean national striker Lee Dong-gook scored a fine free-kick in the second half to give Jeonbuk their second straight victory over Changchun, in Jeonju.

Group H

Sanfrecce Hiroshima, upset group leaders Adelaide United’s 1-0 at the Big Arch. The first win  came courtesy of Hisato Sato’s goal at the stroke of half-time.

Adelaide now share first position with defending champions Pohang Steelers, who beat China’s Shandong Luneng 2-1 away.

Sanfrecce and Shandong have three points each.

Pohang needed a late goal from Kim Tae-su to beat Shandong. The visitors had taken the lead six minutes into the second half through Kim Jae-sung but substitute Li Jinyu equalised in the 73rd minute before Tae-su hit the winner five minutes from time.

Group A
Esteghlal 3-0 Al Gharafa
Al Ahli 5-1 Al-Jazira

Al Gharafa couldn’t compete with Esteghlal today and went down 3-0 in the Azadi Stadium today. Esteghlal striker Farhad Majidi bagged himself two goals today. Majidi put the hosts ahead after a quarter of an hour before doubling their lead ten minutes after the break. Defender Pejman Montazeri then sealed the victory ten minutes from time.

In Group A’s other fixture, Al-Ahli, who so far have leaked five goals in their first two matches, turned things around against Al Jazira scoring 5 goals and winning 5-1. Ahli took the lead withing 2 minutes of the kick-off through Brazilian striker Victor Simoes and never looked back. Abdulrahim Jezawi scored two goals and the Saudi’s other Brazilian Marcinho also bagged a brace while Ivory Coast striker Toni Nantcho grabbed a consolation for Al-Jazira.

Group B
Zob Ahan 3 – 0 Bunyodkor
Al Wahda 0 – 2 Al Ittihad

Iranian side Zob Ahan stood out after their stunning 3-0 victory over Uzbek glamour side Bunyodkor.  The victory puts them on top of Group B. Two of Zob Ahan’s goals were stand-out with Mohammed Hosseini firing the hosts ahead before Mohammad Ghazi made it 2-0. Mohammad Khalatbari hit the last goal 10 minutes from time.

Former two-time champions and last year’s runners-up Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia picked up their first full points in this year’s competition with a 2-0 defeat of UAE’s Al Wahda.

The Jeddah giants were sitting with a loss and a draw so far in the competition, but goals from Abdulmalik Ziaya and Mohamed Nour helped them to their first win.

Group C
Pakhtakor Tashkent 2–1 Sepahan
Al-Ain 2-1 Al Shabab

An Alexander Geynrikh free kick gave Pakhtakor a deserved win over Iranian champions Sepahan and first place in Group Ch. Artur Geykorian’s low shot put the hosts in front five minutes before the break, only for Ahmad Jamshidian to head in an equaliser in first-half injury time. However, with 20 minutes remaining, Geynrikh swung in a free kick that beat several players before hitting the back of the net. Sepahan have had two draws and a defeat so far, making it difficult for them to progress past this stage.

Al Shabab came into their clash with Al-Ain with a number first team players unavailable and Jaime Pacheco’s side found themselves two down after 25 minutes. Former Flamengo striker Emerson but the hosts on their way 15 minutes in before Argentinian forward Jose Sand doubled their lead ten minutes later. Abdulaziz Bin Saran pulled a goal back for the White Lions but it wasn’t enough to save the 2006 quarter-finalists.

Group D
Al Sadd 4 – 1 Mes Kerman
Al Hilal 1 – 1 Al Ahli

Qatari giants Al Sadd showed Mes Kerman who’s the boss by beating them 4 – 1 whipping at the Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.

Strikes by in-form Brazilian Leandro, who neutralised Mes’ lead through Edinho, before adding another, this was followed by goals from Felipe Jorge and Talal Al Baloushi.

The contest was well over within the hour and Al Sadd are now a point removed from section leaders Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia to whom they lost in their opening match. Mes are stranded on three points.

The other group game between Al Hilal and Al Ahli ended in 1-1 draw. Al Hilal’s form has been such that they were tipped to destroy the visiting side by a huge margin.  But the Saudi champions from Riyadh wasted many opportunities even as Mohamed Al Mahyani put them ahead only for the lead to be cancelled by Hosni Abd Rabou’s stoppage-time heartbreaker.

Al Ahli goalkeeper Abdulla Yousif stood firm and guarded his net against numerous Al Hilal assaults and saw his heavily favoured rivals find the woodwork twice before half-time.

Group E

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 3-1 Beijing Guoan
Kawasaki Frontale 4-0 Melbourne Victory

Korean side Seongnam Ilhwa Chunwa recovered from a goal down at home to Chinese Super League outfit Beijing Guoan to eventually win 3-1 victory in the closing stages of the game. Maurice Ross gave Beijing an early lead but the hosts drew level through Song Ho-Young. Seongnam went ahead just three minutes from time through the Montenegro midfielder, Dzenan Radoncic, before Jo Jae-Chol wrapped up the points in injury time.

Kawasaki Frontale thrashed an uninspiring Melbourne Victory 4 – 0. After losses to Seongnam and Beijing, Kawasaki needed victory at home to the Australians and three goals within 20 minutes all but ended the game in the fist half.

Chong Tese, the North Korea international, struck three minutes in and the lead was doubled by Masaru Kurotsu eight minutes later. The former Santos player Renantinho made it three and game over just after the 20 minute mark.

Then on the 90th minute when captain Hiroyuki Taniguchi hit the fourth.

Group F
Changchun Yatai 1-2 Jeonbuk Motors
Kashima Antlers 5-0 Persipura

Lee Dong-gook broke Chinese hearts in the northern city of Changchun on Wednesday with a late winner that gives the South Korean champions a huge boost in their bid to reach the second round.

The hosts started well and controlled the first half. After 65 minutes substitute Du Zhenyu scored to put the hosts ahead. The game wasn’t over however, with 12 minutes remaining, Choi Yae-wook equalized from close range.  Heading for a draw, Lee bagged a priceless winner after good work from Seo Jung-jin.

As expected, the Japanese champions Kashima Antlers, beat group whipping boys Persipura 5-0 at the Kashima Soccer Stadium.

After last round’s 9-0 thrashing in China, the result is an improvement of sorts for the Indonesians. Two goals from Brazil’s Marquinhos and solitary strikes from Toru Araiba, Mitsuo Ogasawara and Yuya Osaka won the game for the J-League titans.

Group G
Singapore Armed Forces 2-4 Gamba Osaka
Henan Construction 0-2 Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Gamba Osaka were given a stern test against a determined Singapore Armed Forces but managed to win comfortably in the end 4-2. Shoki Hirai gave Osaka the lead within six minutes from the first whistle but Erwan Gunawan got the hosts level just after the half hour. After Hirai re-established a one-goal advantage after half-time, Singapore managed to peg the visitors back again, through the Sweden international Niklas Sandberg. However, Sota Nakazawa made it 3-2 with 19 minutes left on the clock before Hirai completed his treble with seven minutes to play. The result marked Gamba’s first win this year following two draws and they move onto five points. SAFFC stay bottom with just one point.

In the second Group G game, Brazilian Jose Mota scored twice as Suwon Samsung Bluewings overcame China’s Henan. The 30-year-old hit a second half double to put the K-League side back on top of the table. After three matches, Suwon sit on top with a two-point lead. Henan, with two draws and a loss, are only one point off the bottom.

Group H
Pohang Steelers 1-0 Shandong Luneng
Adelaide United 3-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Pohand Steelers squeezed past Shandong with a 1-0 win at the Steelyard. Most of the action came at the beginning and at the end of the match. After just five minutes, Noh Byung-joon smashed a free-kick high into the Chinese net.

Then with five minutes to go, Shandong were awarded a penalty after Kim Jung-kyum brought down Benson in the box. Shin Hwa-yong made a brilliant save to deny Deng Zhouxiang’s penalty and move Pohang clear in second place.

Adelaide United came from behind to defeat Sanfrecce Hiroshima to maintain their three from three perfect record in Group H and keep the Japanese team pointless. Hiroshima bounced back after going down early to a Travis Dodd goal and a red card for defender Ilian Stoyanov to equalize and then take the lead in the second half thanks to Kazuyaki Morisaki and Issei Takayanagi. Adelaide however hit back with two late goals from Robert Cornthwaite and Cassio which won them the game and gave them three points to keep them on top of the group.

A dramatic last-minute strike from substitute Yasushi Endoh saw Kashima Antlers fight back from a goal down to beat Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.

A beautifully crafted goal just before the break from Brazilian star Eninho gave Jeonbuk a first-half lead but Koji Nakata equalised midway through the second period before Endoh snatched the win with just seconds remaining.

The first opening came after 5 minutes as Lee Dong-guk burst into the area from the right side but his low shot was saved by the feet of Hitoshi Sogahata.

Just before the break however, Jeonbuk took the lead with the best passage of play in the opening 45 minutes.

Both teams pushed for the winner and it duly came at the end of 90 minutes for Kashima.

Mitsuo Ogasawara fed Endoh – who had only been on the pitch for five minutes – and the substitute slotted the ball past Kwon from just inside the area.

Chanchung’s Gao Jian and Johnny Woodly Lambert both hit hat-tricks as Changchun Yatai thrashed Persipura Jayapura 9-0 at Changchun Jingkai Stadium.

Changchun were determined to get their Group F campaign up and running following an opening 1-0 defeat at Kashima Antlers and they did so in emphatic fashion as they thumped the hapless Indonesians.

After Gao opened the scoring midway through the first-half, the Chinese Super League runners-up embarked on a goal frenzy as they punished Persipura’s poor defending. Liu Weidong also scored twice and fellow substitute Wang Bo claimed a late goal.

Changchun took the lead in the 24th minute when Lambert delivered a cross into the path of Gao, who beat goalkeeper Jendry Pitoy with a curling shot. They doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark when Lambert set up Gao for a second time and he coolly finished with a drive inside the box.

The Costa Rican scored his first goal of the game two minutes before the break, firing past Pitoy after latching onto a precise through ball by Cao as the hosts established a three-goal lead by the interval.

Lambert scored his second goal eight minutes into the second-half, tapping home Cao’s inviting cross. Gao then completed his hat-trick with a header four minutes later before Lambert followed suit on the hour-mark. Lambert tested Pitoy with a long-range effort just five minutes after bagging his treble but it was substitute Liu who reacted quickest to pounce on the rebound and find the back of the net.

Five minutes before the final whistle, Liu clipped a cross for Wang Bo to head in before he claimed his second in a goalmouth scramble during stoppage time.

Croatia’s Kruno Lovrak scored a hat-trick as South Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors eased to a 4-1 victory over Indonesia’s Persipura in Jakarta.

Kim Seung-yong’s scored a 15 minute penalty opening the score. Two minutes later Lovrak doubled Jeonbuk’s lead when he lost his marker and fired home.

Persipura’s lack of concentration proved crucial as Lovrak capped off a swift counter-attack six minutes after the hour mark.

Ian Kabes curled home an impressive consolation for the hosts a minute later, but with nine minutes remaining Lovrak completed his hat-trick to seal the win with a close-range finish.

In Kashima, J.League champions Kashima Antlers also got their Group F campaign off to a winning start with a 1-0 win over Chinese Super League side Changchun Yatai.

Former Japan international Koji Nakata headed home Takuya Nozawa’s free-kick three minutes before half-time at Kashima Soccer Stadium to hand the three-time J.League champions all three points.

Group F is made up of the following ACL teams.

• Kashima (JPN) – finished top of the J League in 2009. Will enter this group as the favourite based on that performance. Last year they bowed out in the round of 16 and I am sure looking to go one better this year.
• Jeonbuk (KOR) – K League winners in 2009, Jeonbuk would also be a serious contender this year and another favourite to progress from Group F. They didn’t feature last year so will surely be eager to make a good impression in the 2010 ACL.
• Persipura (IDN) – currently sitting 2nd in the Indonesian Super League, so another team in good form, although they are 9 points behind the league leaders. Didn’t feature last year so will be eager to make a good impression.
• Changchun (CHN) – came 2nd in the Chinese Super League in 2009 so another team in fine form alsthough it will be interesting to see how they perform given season 2010 is yet to start.

Group F March Day 1 features:
PERSIPURA JAYAPURA (IDN) vs JEONBUK MOTORS (KOR) – Clearly Jeonbuk is a favourite to win away. I would expect by a few goals.
KASHIMA ANTLERS (JPN) vs CHANGCHUN YATAI FC (CHN) – Both teams are yet to begin their 2010 seasons so pre-season form will be a key factor. I am picking Kashima to win at home by one or two goals.

Korea’s FC Seoul have qualified for the second round of the Asian Champions League.

The faced Gamba Osaka who had already qualified and relied upon Chinese champions Shandong Luneng to lose.

As And that is exactly what happened. FC Seol won and Shandong lost.

It wasn’t going according to plan however in the 64th minute as 17 year-old Takashi Usami put Gamba ahead.

Late goals from Dejan Damjanovic and Kim Han-yoon gave the K-League runners-up the points.

It didn’t look like happening for Seoul in the other match either as Shandong raced into a 2-0 first half lead through Han Peng and Gao Di.

But the Indonesian team came storming back in the second half to win 4-2.

FC Seoul boss Senol Gunes was thrilled with his side’s 5-1 victory over Sriwijaya on Tuesday but brought a touch of realism about their chances of reaching the knockout phase.

A Dejan Damjanovic hat-trick and Sim Woo-yeon’s brace gave the Korea Republic side a convincing triumph over the lowly Indonesians after they were stunned by Keith Gumbs’ 61st minute equaliser

Three goals in quick succession won the game for the hosts and puts Seoul level on points with Shandong Luneng, who entertain group leaders Gamba Osaka on Wednesday.

The defeat leaves Sriwijaya with just one remaining game in which to pick up their first point of the competition.

Shandong Luneng coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic insists nothing will stop his side from securing their place in the last 16 despite the Chinese side losing 1-0 to 10-man Gamba Osaka on Wednesday.

Brazilian striker Leandro scored the winner two minutes before the hour mark to hand the defending champions their fifth win in a row after influential playmaker Yasuhito Endo was sent off before the break.

Shandong have seven points along with FC Seoul, but can take second place in Group F if they defeat Sriwijaya away on May 20.

Source: www.the-afc.com

FC Seoul boss Senol Gunes was left cursing his side’s luck after the Korea Republic team were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Shandong Luneng.

A first-half header from Park Yong-ho put Seoul ahead and the hosts went close to adding to their lead on several occasions.

Seoul were left to rue their wastefulness after 80 minutes, however, as Shandong levelled through Alejandro Cichero to remain in second place, three points ahead of the K-League team in Group F.

It was a rare foray forward for the Chinese team that spent most of the game, particularly in the second-half, repelling Seoul attacks.

The result leaves Seoul, in their first-ever AFC Champions League campaign, with their work cut out to reach the second-round but Gunes, who took Turkey to the semi-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, refused to give up on their dream.

Shandong boss Ljubisa Tumbakovic was much the happier of two coaches after picking up an unlikely point to remain in the driving seat for a place in the knockout round with just two games to go.

“I think that 1-1 is not a bad result for us,” he underlined.

“Because of this result, we have a good chance to get to the next round and this it our objective. There are still two games left and we still have a lot of work to do.