Anderson Lopes’ first half header has earned Yokohama F Marinos a 1-0 first leg lead over Shanghai Port in the Asian Champions League Elite while Buriram United shared a 0-0 draw with visitors Johor Darul Ta’zim in Thailand.
Steve Holland’s Marinos side will take a slender advantage into the second leg in Yokohama next Tuesday despite dominating for large portions of the game.
Shanghai Port goalkeeper Yan Junling kept his team in the encounter, denying Lopes as early as the 10th minute.
But the Brazilian, now the tournament’s joint-leading scorer with seven goals, made no mistake in the 30th minute when he nodded in from close range after Daiya Tono clipped the ball towards his unmarked teammate.
Home striker Suphanat Mueanta went closest to breaking the deadlock in the 65th minute in Buriram, the Thailand international seeing his header palmed over the bar by JDT goalkeeper Andoni Zubiaurre.
The teams are battling for a place in the quarter-final draw, which will feature four teams each from west and east Asia.
The remaining rounds will be played in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between April 25-May 3.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/soccer/lopes-gives-yokohama-edge-in-asian-cl-elite-last-16-c-17928908
