Leandro double lifts Kashiwa past Suwon

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SEOUL: Brazilian forward Leandro scored twice and set up another as Kashiwa Reysol came from behind to beat Suwon Samsung 3-2 away in the AFC Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.
Another Korean side, K League Classic champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, also had a disappointing home first leg when they conceded a late penalty to draw 1-1 with Beijing Guoan.
At Suwon World Cup Stadium, the hosts made a dream start as Chong Te-Se’s pull-back from the left byline was stabbed home by Yeom Ki-Hun less than two minutes into the game.
But the visitors got back on level terms in the 12th minute when Leandro chipped the ball forward for an unmarked Akimi Barada to beat ‘keeper Jung Sung-ryong on his near post.
Kashiwa were then awarded a penalty on the half-hour mark after Kosuke Taketomi was flattened by Baek Ji-Hoon’s robust challenge, and Leandro stepped up to fire past Jung.
Suwon were forced onto the offensive but they were caught on the counter-attack 10 minutes into the second half as Cristiano’s cross from the right was turned in by Leandro for his second goal of the game.
Chong gave his side hope when he headed in a cross by Yeom, but Daisuke Suzuki made a heroic block to deny Leo the equalizer and Yeom saw his stoppage-time free-kick tipped over as Kashiwa maintained their advantage ahead of next week’s return game in Japan.
At Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonbuk took the lead against Beijing after 13 minutes when Leonardo floated in a free-kick from the left that was headed in by Kim Kee-Hee.
Dejan Damjanovic missed a glorious opportunity to equalize when he blazed over from eight yards just before half-time.
However, the visitors won penalty five minutes from time after Erton Fejzullahu was tripped by Lee Jae-Moung, and Pablo Batalla sent goalkeeper Kwoun Sun-Tae the wrong way to make it all to play for next week in Beijing.

Guangzhou without key quartet for Seongnam test
Meantime, Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande will be without a host of key players, including talisman Elkeson, when they face South Korea’s Seongnam in the first leg of their AFC Champions League round of 16 clash on Wednesday.
The forward is one of three Brazilians who will be absent for the away leg, with striker Alan and midfielder Rene Junior also missing out. South Korean defender Kim Young-gwon is also unavailable for the 2013 AFC Champions League winners.
“We have a lot of injuries as we don’t have the international players Elkeson, Rene, Kim and Alan, so it is not normal,” Guangzhou boss Fabio Cannavaro told reporters in Korea on Tuesday.
“But I trust my team and even without these players, we can have a nice performance.”
The World Cup-winning Italian’s confidence has likely been boosted by the form of Brazilian attacker Ricardo Goulart.
The 23-year-old has notched eight goals in 10 appearances since joining from Cruzeiro, including a hat-trick in the group stage win at holders Western Sydney Wanderers.
Cannavaro, though, was also wary of Seongnam’s Brazilian talents, with Ricardo Bueno and Jorginho likely to prove a test for his backline.
“Seongnam are tough, they are Korean, and everybody knows Korean football. They are aggressive and the stadium is not big so we know they can put us under pressure,” said the Italian, in his first season in charge after succeeding Marcello Lippi.
“We know that we have two games and not just one and we know that we need to be clever and understand the qualification is not only down to one game.
“We know everything about them; I have seen the last four games. They work together, they have very good Brazilin players, and if they have reached this stage they have the quality.”
Results from the Asian Champions League last 16 first leg matches on Tuesday:
Al Sadd (Qatar) — Lekhwiya (Qatar) 1-2 (halftime: 1-2) Perspolis (Iran) — Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) 1-0 (halftime: 0-0) Suwon (Korea) — Kashiwa Reysol (Japan) 2-3 (halftime: 1-2) Chonbuk (Korea) — Beijing Guo’an (China) 1-1 (halftime: 1-0)