Goals scored by Yosuke Ideguchi and Tetsushi Yamakawa in the 31st and 39th minutes respectively secured a fourth victory in five games for the J-League champions, who pulled ahead of second-placed Melbourne City in the rankings.

The top eight teams from the 12-team eastern league phase will advance to the last 16 in March, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final scheduled for April in Saudi Arabia.

Shenhua applied early pressure on the visitors as Andre Luis struck the crossbar with a running shot in the 15th minute.

But Ideguchi put Kobe ahead 16 minutes later after receiving a pass from Daiju Sasaki inside the penalty box and the midfielder pushed the ball past goalkeeper Bao Yaxiong.

The goal was initially disallowed for offside but was reinstated following a VAR review.

Eight minutes later, the Japanese team doubled their lead. Yuya Osako was stopped by Bao, but from the resulting corner, Yamakawa redirected Nanasei Iino's cross past the goalkeeper.

Shenhua were left to regret several missed chances, including Saulo Mineiro's attempt in the middle of the second half, which was disallowed due to a foul in the buildup.

Andre Luis then had his penalty saved by Kobe’s Shuichi Gonda eight minutes before the final whistle, capping a frustrating evening for Leonid Slutsky’s team.

Meanwhile, two-time champions Ulsan HD from South Korea were held to a 0-0 draw against Thai visitors Buriram United.

This result placed Ulsan sixth with eight points from five matches, while Buriram sit eighth, one point behind.