AFC Champions League Elite: Mineiro triple leads Shanghai Shenhua to crucial win

Saulo Mineiro netted a hat-trick to propel Shanghai Shenhua to a 4-2 victory at home over 10-man Vissel Kobe in the AFC Champions League Elite which lifted the Chinese Super League side to seventh place in the East division.

The hosts struck early when new Brazilian striker Mineiro headed home from Gao Tianyi's corner in just 68 seconds. Kobe were reduced ten men in just the 7th minute with Powell Obinna saw red for a reckless challenge on Andre Luis well outside the penalty area. In first half stoppage time, Chen Jingyi extended Shenhua's lead to 2-0 when his deflected shot found the bottom corner.

The second half began with more misery for the J1 champions as Mineiro pounced on a rebound from Andre Luis's header to score from point-blank range in the 48th minute. Mineiro completed his hat-trick in the 70th minute, confidently converting from the penalty spot after a handball by Takuya Iwanami.

Kobe showed signs of life in the 87th minute when Niina Tominaga produced a stunning strike from the edge of the box. The drama continued into stoppage time as Haruya Ide met Rikuto Hirose's freekick with a header, but it's too little too late for the ten-man visitors. The 4-2 win left Shenhua in seventh place on 10 points, with a good shot at advancing to the knockout rounds as one of the top eight teams.