SINGAPORE: Japanese heavyweights Kashima Antlers powered into the last 16 of the AFC Champions League on Tuesday for the third year in a row, but Adelaide United’s bid to join them stalled.

The J-League leaders trampled Indonesian minnows Persipura Jayapura 3-1 in Jakarta to leave them unbeaten after four games and top of Group F.

Barring an upset, Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors will join them in the knockout round from the group after grinding out a 1-0 home win over China’s Changchun Yatai.

A 54th-minute strike by Lee Dong-Gook was enough to secure the win for Jeonbuk and leave them on nine points with two games to play. Changchun have three points while basement club Persipura are out of the running.

Kashima’s in-form midfielder Yasushi Endo put his side in front after just two minutes at a virtually empty Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, volleying home a left wing cross from Brazilian defender Gilton.

Surprisingly for a side that has conceded 21 goals and scored just one in their Champions League debut, Persipura snatched a shock equaliser through striker Tinus Pae on 19 minutes.

But Shinzo Koroki restored Kashima’s lead seven minutes later when he nicely controlled a Takuya Nozawa pass and whipped the ball past the goalkeeper. Atsuto Uchida smashed the third to kill the game off 11 minutes before the break. In Group H, Adelaide United could have sealed a knockout-stage spot with a win over Japanese strugglers Sanfrecce Hiroshima, but they failed to take their chance, forced onto the back foot for much of the game.

Hiroshima skipper Hisato Sato broke the deadlock shortly before half-time with a neat header after a pinpoint cross from Koji Nakajima.

It leaves Adelaide on nine points with defending champions Pohang Steelers of South Korea (six points) and China’s Shandong Luneng (three points) meeting later.