Muto on target as Kobe see off Port FC to begin Asian Champions League with win

[p]The former Japan international ‌netted in the 61st minute to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/port-mti-fc-Yov9ooRk/vissel-kobe-698tGI9q/?mid=pO1lH85t"]seal all three ‌points[/a] for Michael Skibbe's side, who had taken the lead ‌in the 10th minute through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/komatsu-ren/ILJikFyo/"]Ren Komatsu[/a].[/p][p]Komatsu had put ‌the J-League outfit in front from close range when Diego's long throw into the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/port-mti-fc/Yov9ooRk/"]Port[/a] penalty area was flicked on by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/takahashi-issei/YgcOfSxq/"]‌Issei Takahashi[/a] and the striker pounced.[/p][p]But the ⁠unfortunate Komatsu was to ‌find the back of the net at the other end of ​the pitch in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time when he redirected [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/al-sabhi-issam/IT2UwZmg/"]Issam Al-Sabhi[/a]'s header ​over his own goal-line.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/muto-yoshinori/8bbTIqDq/"]Muto[/a], however, hit the winner when he was played in on goal by fellow substitute Yuya ⁠Osako before lifting ​a calm finish over Port goalkeeper Michael Falksgaard as last season's semi-finalists picked up all three points.[/b][/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="026021fe-c2c0-4db1-95de-7768bd79a323" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="1124fe5f-284a-40f3-8dd8-1ee7085ae588" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Meanwhile, former champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jeonbuk/x0hNfcgA/"]Jeonbuk Motors[/a] battled back from going a goal down to ‌win 2-1 against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kashiwa-reysol/hEbtKvnM/"]Kashiwa Reysol[/a] in Jeonju.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yuba-kenshin/GStRRD7b/"]Kenshin Yuba[/a]'s individual effort put the Japanese side in front in the 30th minute, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tiago-orobo/SKQjJINg/"]Tiago Orobo[/a] levelled the scores three minutes into the second half with a header.[/p][p][b]Italo claimed the points for Jeonbuk in the 69th minute, the Brazilian powering past a pair of Kashiwa defenders before sliding his shot into the bottom corner of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kojima-ryosuke/KpSgJUEb/"]Ryosuke Kojima[/a]'s goal.[/b][/p][p]The top ‌eight finishers in both east and west Asia will ​advance to the knockout rounds from the league phase, ‌which has been expanded from 24 to 32 teams for the latest edition of the competition.[/p][p]The last 16 matches will be played on a home-and-away basis in March while the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will ⁠be held in Saudi ⁠Arabia in a centralised ‌format in April and May.[/p]