ADELAIDE, Australia (Kyodo) Sanfrecce Hiroshima's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage suffered a major blow Wednesday after going down 3-2 at Adelaide United on a night of differing fortunes for Japanese clubs in the Asian Champions League.
Hiroshima's third straight loss edged it closer to elimination on its tournament debut but there was more joy for Kashima Antlers as the J. League champion romped past Indonesia's Persipura Jayapura 5-0 to preserve its flawless start.
Sanfrecce were faced with an uphill task after influential defender Ilian Stoyanov was sent off after just over half an hour with the visitors trailing to Travis Dodd's 11th-minute opener at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Goals from Kazuyuki Morisaki and Issei Takayanagi turned the tide in Hiroshima's favor but two late goals in the space of four minutes from Robert Cornthwaite and Brazilian substitute Cassio preserved the Australian side's 100 percent record in Group H.