The young squads of Shandong Taishan and Guangzhou FC concede a whopping 12 goals in the opening round of AFC Champions League on Friday. Shandong, fielding virtually a youth side, were hammered 7-0 by South Korea’s Daegu in their Group F match in Buriram, while Malaysian champions Johor DT kicked off their AFC Champions League campaign by defeating Guangzhou FC 5-0. The Koreans found the net in the 15th minute as Lee Keun-ho converted a cross after his teammates broke through Shandong’s defence from the right. One turned to two just four minutes later when Shandong’s goalkeeper Cao Zheng lost his footing after trying to keep the ball in play, with Zeca pouncing on the mistake to score the first of his three goals. Shandong showed signs of life towards the end of the first half, but solid defending saw Daegu take a three-goal lead into the break. Despite the huge deficit, Shandong continued to press forward with Yi Xianlong and Baihelamu Abuduwaili making plays into the final third, but Daegu’s quick defending kept their area clear of any real threats as they savoured the big win. Meanwhile eight-time Malaysian Super League champions clinched their best-ever start in the AFC Champions League, courtesy of an inspired performance by Brazilian ace Bergson. The Group I match, played at Johor Baharu, Malaysia, saw the hosts lead two-time AFC Champion League winner Guangzhou FC 3-0 at halftime with a double by striker Bergson and an own goal from Guangzhou’s goalkeeper He Lipan. Within minutes of the start of the second half, the game was effectively over as a contest. Despite a half-time substitution by Guangzhou head coach Pan Yonghe, JDT and Bergson picked up right where they left off. The Brazilian rose above the Chinese defence at the far post to redirect the path of Corbin Ong’s cross to complete his hat-trick, leaving a well-extended He with no chance. AFC Champions League JDT 2-0 Guangzhou FC 13’ Forestieri pic.twitter.com/wCXtw63WnK — ASTRO ARENA (@ASTROARENA) April 15, 2022 Shandong will need to dust off their nervous start as they look ahead to Monday’s match against two-time champions Urawa Red Diamonds, while Guangzhou FC will face J League giants Kawasaki Frontale. The winners of each of the five groups in the east of Asia are guaranteed to advance to the next round, where they will be joined by the three runners-up with the best records.