The Wanderers are struggling badly in the A-League  but they do seem to grow a leg when faced with highly credentialled continental rivals. Having won away in Japan in the opening game against Kashima Antlers a week earlier, they have shown that their domestic form will not necessarily dictate their performances in the ACL, in which they pulled off an against-the-odds triumph last season.

Tony Popovic's side now has a two-week break before travelling to South Korea for their third game, which could prove pivotal. There they will take on FC Seoul, who got back on the winning track on Wednesday when they defeated Kashima 1-0 in the Korean capital. Seoul went down 1-0 to Guangzhou in their opening game.

With six points from two matches, the Chinese club is in pole position to take one of the two qualifying spots, especially as they face winless Kashima in Guangzhou on March 18.

Brisbane went down at home in their first match to Beijing Guoan and looked to have a huge task in front of them as a result. But they got their campaign back on track in terrific fashion thanks to Brandon Borrello's third-minute goal in Saitama against Urawa, one of the best-known clubs in Japan.

Beijing won their second game in succession when they saw off Suwon Samsung with a 1-0 scoreline in the Beijing Workers Stadium, so they are in the box seat after two games with maximum points. Suwon won their first game when they beat Urawa at home, so their trip to Brisbane for the third match in the group phase could be decisive. Urawa has it all to do having lost twice already with a trip to Beijing their next assignment.

In the other East Asian pools, Kashiwa Reysol and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors jointly head Group E with four points each, narrowly ahead of Shandong Luneng, while Thai club Buriram United heads Group F, where Japanese giant Gamba Osaka has made a poor start and sits bottom of the mini league after two losses in their opening two games.