Berliner Tageszeitung - Kobe, Shanghai take control in Champions League last 16

Yuya Osako and Haruya Ide scored first-half headers as Japanese champions Kobe won 2-0 at home to South Korean tournament debutants Gwangju.

Kawasaki made it a mixed night for Japanese clubs when a late own goal from Kota Takai handed Shanghai a 1-0 win in China.

Kobe, who are chasing a trophy treble after last season's domestic league and cup double, enjoyed a comfortable night ahead of next week's second leg in South Korea.

The winners of the last 16 games go through to the final tournament of the revamped AFC Champions League Elite in Saudi Arabia.

"We've been playing a run of games with a small group of players so rest and recovery is the most important thing now," said Kobe manager Takayuki Yoshida.

"We're away in the next game and they're the type of team that can play in lots of different ways, so we want to be prepared for any situation, like we were today."

Shanghai and Kawasaki have it all to play for after the Chinese side edged a close first leg.

Kawasaki had the ball in the net in the first half through Yasuto Wakizaka but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR review.

Shanghai spurned two good chances in the second half before they took the lead when Takai turned Portuguese defender Wilson Manafa's shot into his own net.

Kobe went into their game missing several key men including last season's J. League player of the year Yoshinori Muto.

Osako did not help their cause when he picked up a needless early booking for an off-the-ball shove on a Gwangju player.

But the former Japan striker opened the scoring midway through the first half, heading home the rebound after Ide had crashed the ball against the crossbar.

The roles were reversed less than 10 minutes later when Osako teed up Ide to nod home Kobe's second goal.

"If we do the things we should be doing in the next game then the result will follow. That's all we need to do," Osako said.

P. Hansen--BTZ