Kashima: Kashima Antlers took pole position at the top of AFC Champions League Group E with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Brisbane Roar on Tuesday night.

South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai’s lacklustre 0-0 draw with Muangthong United allowed the reigning J-League champions to leapfrog the undefeated Thai side in the Group E standings with six points from three matches, with Brisbane rock bottom having only managed a draw and two defeats.

The Japan side dominated first-half possession, but just when it looked as if a resilient Brisbane defence would go to the interval unbreached, right-back Yukitoshi Ito broke down the flank in the 43rd minute and crossed for Yuma Suzuki to power home a sharp first-time finish on the turn into the bottom corner of Jamie Young’s goal.

The Brisbane goalkeeper was cruelly credited with an own goal in the 76th minute despite Naomichi Ueda seemingly kicking the ball from the keeper’s grasp during a near-post scramble following a corner.

Iranian referee Alireza Faghani waved away the protests of the Brisbane players, who claimed Young had been fouled by Ueda.

Three minutes later Young was powerless to stop Kashima sealing the three points when Yasushi Endo cut inside from the right and fired home an unstoppable left-footed finish into the far corner.

Meanwhile, Kawasaki Frontale captain Yu Kobayashi coolly chipped home a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure a richly deserved 1-1 draw against Guangzhou Evergrande in the other match of the day.

The Japanese side laid siege to the two-time Asian champions goalmouth after the prolific Brazilian striker Alan put the home side ahead in the 26th minute with his third goal in three Champions League outings.

Frontale were denied time and again after half-time by a series of saves using hands, feet and body by goalkeeper Zeng Cheng.

And Kobayashi must have thought it was destined not to be his night when he finally beat Zeng with a 71st-minute snap-shot across goal after a sweet turn, only to see the ball cannon back off the foot of the post.

But deep into injury time Frontale’s persistence paid off when Evergrande’s Yu Hanchao made a hash of a clearance near the edge of his penalty area resulting in the ball striking first his left and then his right arm.

Qatari referee Abdul Rahman Al Jasem had no choice but to point to the spot, despite the protests of the Evergrande players and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who believed that the contact had occurred outside the box.

Kobayashi’s last-gasp leveller leaves Group G wide open with Kawasaki closing to two points behind Guangzhou and Suwon Bluewings, who both have five points after the South Korean side beat Hong Kong minnow Eastern 1-0.