KASHIMA (Japan): Kashima Antlers made an eye-catching start to their Asian Champions League Elite campaign with a 7-1 thrashing of Australia’s Newcastle Jets on Tuesday, while Shanghai Port survived a frantic finish to secure a 6-4 win over Ratchaburi.
Aleksandar Cavric scored a first-half hat-trick for Kashima, title winners in 2018, to allow the J-League champions to dish out a lesson to Mark Milligan’s side at Kashima Stadium in the eastern leaguephaseopener.
James Delianov’s own goal in the 19th minute left Newcastle with a challenging task that became insurmountable when Homare Tokuda hit the fourth in the 40th minute and Cavric completed his hat-trick two minutes later.
Tokuda and Kyosuke Tagawa scored in the second half for Kashima before Patrick Wood netted a 79th minute consolation for the visitors.
Meanwhile, Shanghai Port saw Prince Ampem score three times in 15 minutes at the end of the first half to put Kevin Muscat’s side in control of their meeting with hosts Ratchaburi with Wu Lei adding a fourth in the 51st minute.
The introduction of Njiva Rakotoharimalala gave Ratchaburi hope, the Madagascar international scoring a late hat-trick but the Chinese Super League side held on to secure their first win in the competition since November 2024.
Elsewhere, Takashi Usami scored twice as Japan’s Gamba Osaka won 4-1 against tournament debutants Cong An Ha Noi from Vietnam while Victor Bobsin’s long-range curling strike earned Daejeon Citizen a 1-0 victory over Kyoto Sanga.
Neil Etheridge made an 87th minute penalty save from Bergson da Silva to ensure 10-man Buriram United secured a 1-1 draw with hosts Johor Darul Ta’zim and Beijing Guoan handed South Korea’s Pohang Steelers a 3-1 defeat at Workers Stadium.
On Monday, Feras Al-Brikan scored in stoppage time to help champions Al-Ahli salvage a 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor in Jeddah while Al-Ittihad also needed a late goal to claim a point from their meeting with Q atar’s Al-Shamal.
Brendan Rodgers’ Al-Qadsiah made a winning start to their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Al-Wasl of the UAE and Uzbekistan’s Neftchi picked up a 1-0 win over Air Force Club of Iraq.
Albania international Jasir Asani was instrumental in Esteghlal’s 3-0 win against Qatar’s Al-Sadd.-Reuters