It was a mixed day for the Saudi Arabian teams in the AFC Champions Football League Championship Wednesday. While Jeddah's Al-Ittihad remained on top of Group B with a 1-0 win over Baniyas of the United Arab Emirates at home, Riyadh's Al-Hilal missed a great opportunity to move up the table in Group D, settling for a 1-1 draw with Al-Shabab of the United Arab Emirates. The all-important goal of Ittihad was scored by Naif Hazazi in the 80th minute. Al-Shabab opened the scoring in the 37th minute, courtesy of Brazilian striker Ciel. But South Korean striker Byung-Soo Yoo drew Al-Hilal level in the 70th minute. South Korean champion Jeonbuk Motors got its campaign back on track with a 2-0 win over previously undefeated Burriram United of Thailand. In other early matches, J-League champion Kashiwa Reysol was held to a 0-0 draw at home by China's Guangzhou Evergrande in Group H, while A-League champion Brisbane Roar held on for a 1-1 away draw Ulsan Hyundai. Piroozi Athletic of Iran tightened its grip on Group D with a 3-0 victory over Al-Gharafa of Qatar. Striker Lee Dong-gook opened the scoring for Jeonbuk in the ninth minute and Seo Sang-min doubled the lead in the 33rd. Burriram, which was the surprising Group H leader after the first two matches, struggled with its attack in an ill-tempered match that featured six yellow cards. Burriram remains top of Group H despite the loss. Kashiwa and Guanzhou remain two points back after their draw. In Group F, A-League champion Brisbane Roar managed a draw against Ulsan Hyundai despite playing the second half with 10 men after Matt Jurman was red carded in the 47th minute for grabbing at a goal-bound Kim Seung-young. The Australians opened the scoring via Nick Fitzgerald's powerful right-foot strike in the 36th minute and, despite Michael Theoklitos' brilliant save of Lee Keun-ho's penalty attempt, the Korean club equalized through Lee Jae-seong in the 54th. Mitch Nichols missed a chance in the 68th to put the Roar ahead, while Ulsan wasted late opportunities when skipper Kwak Tae-hwi's header hit the crossbar. Ulsan moved to five points from three matches, while Brisbane has two points and is yet to win in the continental competition. In the other Group F match, Tokyo FC joined Ulsan at the top after a 1-1 draw with Beijing Guoan. Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan beat Al-Arabi 3-1 in Group B, handing the Qatari side its third consecutive loss and possibly an early exit from the competition.
