HONG KONG: Japanese champions Vissel Kobe romped into the knockout stages of the AFC Cham­pions League on Tuesday, a 4-0 victory over Shanghai Port guaranteeing their place in the last 16 with a match to spare.

Two second-half goals in a minute from Yuya Kuw­asaki and Koya Yuruki added to Yoshinori Muto’s 11th-minute strike to give Vissel a deserved 3-0 lead.

Vissel’s Yuya Osako saw his penalty saved in the 78th minute but swept home three minutes later from a free-kick to complete the scoring and put Kobe top of the 12-team league with 16 points. The top eight advance to the knockouts.

It was a great matchday seven for Japan as all three of their representatives in Asia’s premier club competition reached the last 16.

Kawasaki Frontale sea­led their passage with a com­f­ortable 4-0 win at So­uth Korea’s Pohang Steelers.

Shin Yamada gave Fro­ntale a 38th-minute lead before second-half strikes from Yasuto Wakizaka, So Kawahara and Erison secured the points.

The third Japanese representatives, last year’s beaten finalists Yokohama F. Marinos, play on Wedn­esday but progressed without kicking a ball on 13 points courtesy of Tuesday’s results.

Also through on 13 points are South Korea’s Gwangju FC, despite losing 3-1 at Shandong Taishan who kept their qualification hopes alive.

All the goals came in a frantic first 45 minutes with Valeri Qazaishvili, Zeca and Cryzan netting for Shandong and Lee Min-gi pulling one back for Gwangju.

Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim put one foot in the last 16 with a 2-1 win at Australia’s rock-bottom Central Coast Mariners, who have only one point from seven matches.

Johor are on 11 points and look almost certain to progress to the last 16, needing just a draw at home to Pohang Steelers next week to be certain.

The West Zone teams have already played seven matches, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and the other star-studded Saudi Arabian sides — Al Ahli and Al Hilal — already reaching the last 16.

The final round of league fixtures takes place in both zones next week.

The last-16 matches will be played over two legs in March. Saudi Ara­bia will then host the quarter-fin­als, semi-fin­als and final from April 25 to May 4.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2025