SINGAPORE — Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors joined Guangzhou Evergrande at the top of their AFC Champions League group after a superb strike gave the 10-man Korean side a 1-0 win over the defending champion Wednesday. Guangzhou entered the Group G match at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium with a 12-match unbeaten run in the competition, and a chance to claim a place in the knockout rounds with a victory over its host. And its hopes were boosted when the Korean side, which won the tournament in 2006, had Jung Hyuk sent off midway through the second half after the midfielder received his second caution of the game. But, with 14 minutes remaining, Lee Jae-sung spotted that Leonardo was on the run, and lofted a fine through pass to the Brazilian — who met it on the edge of the Guangzhou box with a side-footed volley that gave goalkeeper Zeng Cheng no chance. The victory saw Jeonbuk draw level with Guangzhou with seven points, although the Chinese side leads the group because of its better record in the head-to-head matches between the two sides following its 3-1 win over Jeonbuk in southern China two weeks ago. Guangzhou and Jeonbuk have a three-point advantage over Yokohama F. Marinos and Melbourne Victory after the Japanese side claimed its first win in the group with a 3-2 triumph over the Australian club at the Yokohama International Stadium. Beaten 1-0 in Melbourne a fortnight ago, F. Marinos began the return match badly as James Troisi converted from the penalty spot in the seventh minute after Shingo Hyodo had tugged back Jason Geria. But the home side turned things around with a pair of goals in five minutes midway through the half. Sho Ito equalized with a clever chip in the 21st minute, and Kosuke Nakamachi then tucked away a loose ball shortly afterwards to put the Japanese side ahead. Hyodo made amends for giving away the penalty by firing home F. Marinos' third in the 89th minute, a goal that would prove decisive as James Jeggo found the net for the Australian side in added time. Saudi club Al-Shabab beat Qatari side Al-Rayyan 2-0 in their Group A encounter. Essa Al-Mehyani scored the first in the 7th minute and Hassan Mouath put the result beyond doubt with the second in the 90th minute. In the other late Group A game Esteghlal Tehran of Iran edged Al-Jazira of the UAE 1-0. Korean champion Pohang Steelers opened up a three-point lead at the top of Group E with a 4-2 away win over Chinese side Shandong Luneng in Jinan. Go Moo-yul put the visitor ahead against the run of play in the 35th minute at Jinan Olympic Sports Centre, and a fine display of counter-attacking football saw the 2009 champion pull away after the break with goals by Kim Tae-soo in the 65th minute and Kim Seung-dae seven minutes later, before Liu Binbin deflected a shot into his own net in the 83rd minute. Late goals by Du Wei and Han Peng gave some respectability to the score for Shandong, who fell to second place after their first defeat in the group. Shandong is now level on points with Cerezo Osaka, after the Japanese club came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Buriram United in Thailand. Buriram was humbled 4-0 in Japan two weeks ago, but it went two goals up at the interval after Theerathon Bunmathan fired home a 10th minute free-kick and Suchao Nutnum saw his effort go in after an error by Cerezo goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon. However, Tatsuya Yamashita came to his side's rescue in the second half, cutting the deficit in the 65th minute before heading it level in the final minute with an effort that had just crossed over the line before it was hacked clear by the Buriram defense. — Agencies
