Former finalists FC Seoul sounded an early warning to their continental rivals with a dominant 6-0 win over Thailand champions Buriram United as the AFC Champions League retuned this week, while defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande were held to a goalless draw by Pohang Steelers.
Brazilian Adriano scored four times at Buriram Stadium, with Dejan Damjanovic and substitute Lee Seok-hyun adding further goals, as the 2013 runners-up eased to victory in Thailand.
And the side from the Korea Republic capital were joined at the top of Group F by China’s Shandong Luneng after Yang Xu and Diego Tardelli scored to secure a 2-1 win over Japanese champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
“Even though this is the first game of our season, we are happy to score many goals which make us feel very confident,” said FC Seoul coach Choi Yong-soo.
“The co-ordination between Adriano and Dejan was very good. They give us confidence.”
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Guangzhou, meanwhile, were unable to get the better of another K-League side in the form of three-time Asian champions Pohang and were forced to settle for a goalless stalemate at Tianhe Sport Centre.
Instead, it is Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds who are the early Group H leaders after Yuki Muto and Shinzo Koroki netted to secure a 2-0 win over A-League side Sydney FC.
“This is a fair result. We were short of some good match tempo and we haven't reached where we were last year. We went to Dubai for winter training, but ended up with only one training match. Now we are having some difficulties, but this game is within my expectations. What we were missing was one goal,” said Guangzhou coach Scolari.
“We are still two or three matches away from having the right season vibe back.”
Also on Wednesday, Iran’s Tractorsazi Tabriz were the third of three Iranian clubs to secure an opening day win as they beat Al Jazira of the United Arab Emirates 4-0 to leap to the top of Group C ahead of two-time Asian champions Al Hilal and Uzbek League winners Pakhtakor after the pair shared a 2-2 draw.
Elsewhere, goals from Jai Ingham and Besart Berisha saw Australian champions Melbourne Victory edge out Chinese Super League runners-up Shanghai SIPG 2-1 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Group G, while Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Gamba Osaka shared a goalless draw.
Also in the East, 2006 winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors beat Japan’s FC 2-1 to take an early lead in Group E, while the meeting between Chinese FA Cup winners Jiangsu FC and Vietnamese champions Becamex Binh Duong ended in a 1-1 draw.
Iran’s Zobahan celebrated their return to the AFC Champions League after a five-year absence with a 1-0 win over Qatar champions Lekhwiya to become Group B front-runners.
And also in Group B, Saudi Arabia Professional League winners Al Nassr salvaged a 3-3 draw with visitors Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan thanks to a late equaliser from Hussein Abdulghani.
In Group A, Iranian champions Sepahan defeated Emirati side Al Nasr 2-0 in Isfahan, while the group’s earlier fixture in Tashkent saw two-time AFC Champions League winners Al Ittihad draw 1-1 with Lokomotiv.
Finally in Group D, Omar Al Soma scored with a header early in the second half to seal a 2-1 win for Al Ahli over Uzbekistan’s Nasaf.
But there was disappointment for 2003 champions Al Ain, who succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Qatar Stars League side El Jaish.