KASHIWA, Japan (AP) — Leandro Domingues scored two goals and set up another as Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol beat Australian side Central Coast Mariners 3-1 to remain at the top in Group H of the Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
In a Group C match, former France international striker Djibril Cisse scored twice as Al Gharafa defeated Iranian league champion Sepahan 3-1.
Kashiwa stayed perfect with six points in Group H, while the Mariners have one point after an opening 0-0 draw with South Korean club Suwon Bluewings.
In the other group match, Suwon and Chinese team Guizhou Renhe finished in a goalless draw.
Kenta Kano converted a pass from Domingues in the 67th minute to give Kashiwa the lead for good. The Brazilian added another with a clever volley with two minutes remaining.
Patrick Zwaanswijk gave the visitors the lead only eight minutes in but Domingues equalized in the 21st minute.
Central Coast had a chance to pull one back after Domingues' second goal but Kashiwa goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno saved substitute Michael McGlinchey's spot kick. It was the fifth penalty in a row the Mariners have failed to convert.
In Doha, defender Mohammad Ali Ahmadi gave Sepahan the lead after just 13 minutes but a close-range strike four minutes later and a second-half header from Cisse put Al Gharafa in front. Substitute midfielder Majdi Siddiq put the match out of reach in stoppage time when he slotted home a shot from close range.
"Despite the fact that we went behind early in the game, the players showed good determination to win and to get back into the game," Al Gharafa coach Habib Sadek said. "The equalizer that we scored motivated us and our strategy is to win matches at home and that's what we did tonight."
In the other Group C match, Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli tightened its grip at the top of the table with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over 10-man Al Nasr of the United Arab Emirates.
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