Kashima beat Jeonbuk; Beijing Guoan prevail

KASHIMA ANTLERS won the clash of East Asia's titans on Tuesday with a dramatic, 2-1 AFC Champions League win over Jeonbuk Motors, while Beijing Guoan dug deep to beat Kawasaki Frontale.

J-League champions Kashima came from behind to beat their K-League counterparts, with Koji Nakata and Yasushi Endo doing the damage.

Jeonbuk, who won the AFC crown in 2006, opened the scoring four minutes before half-time through their Brazilian star Eninho, who made the most of his chances after being put through by Lee Dong-Gook.

Nakata struck the equaliser in the 70th minute after latching on to a cross from Brazilian midfielder Fellype Gabriel and it looked destined for a draw before Endo prodded home a last-minute winner for Kashima.

In the other Group F game, Changchun Yatai, runners-up in last year's Chinese Super League, crushed Indonesian minnows Persipura 9-0 in a lopsided contest.

Chinese teams enjoyed a good night, with Super League champions Beijing Guoan travelling to Japan and beating Kawasaki Frontale 3-1, while Melbourne Victory absorb a 2-0 home loss to Seongnam Ilhwa in Australia.

Meanwhile, Uzbek giants Bunyodkor look to build on their strong start when they visit Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi later Tuesday.

Saudi giants Al Ittihad will be desperate to make up for their poor start when they host Iran's Zobahan, who have three points after beating Al Wahda 1-0 at home during their opener a week ago.

In Group A, reigning Iranian champions Esteghlal host Al Jazira of the UAE, gunning for a second straight win, while Saudi side Al Ahli visit Qatar's Al Gharafa in Doha.

AFP