Asian Champions League Elite: Yokohama F Marinos lead in eastern zone as Al-Hilal top west
The J-League outfit beat Central Coast as other teams squandered chances to book places in the last 16; the situation is clearer in the west
Yokohama F Marinos moved to the top of the eastern zone of the Asian Champions League Elite standings with a 4-0 win over Central Coast Mariners on Tuesday as Vissel Kobe and Gwangju FC squandered the opportunity to book their spots in the competition’s last 16.
Kobe, who were in first place going into Tuesday’s matches, slipped to a 3-1 loss at Pohang Steelers while Gwangju FC were held to a 1-1 draw after 10-man Shanghai Port equalised through Oscar’s late penalty to earn the Chinese Super League champions a point.
Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), meanwhile, drew 0-0 with Thailand’s Buriram United in a bad-tempered clash in Johor, with three sendings off.
In the Western zone, United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain maintained their slender hopes of reaching the knockout rounds after the title holders fought back to draw 1-1 with Pakhtakor, while Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal downed Qatar’s Al-Gharafa to move to the top of the standings.
Al-Hilal, who confirmed their qualification for the knockout rounds after last week’s draw with Al-Sadd, moved ahead of Al-Ahli and into pole position on goal difference as Jorge Jesus’ side defeated Al-Gharafa 3-0 in Riyadh.
Marcos Leonardo scored the opening goal in the 18th minute when he smashed Yasir Al-Shahrani’s cutback into the roof of the net while late strikes from substitutes Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic added gloss to the Saudi side’s victory.
