Jeonbuk take big step towards Champions League final

(Reuters) - Leonardo scored a brace as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors cruised to a 4-1 win in their all-South Korean clash against FC Seoul in the first leg of their Asian Champions League semi-final on Wednesday. Jeonbuk, who are bidding to reach the final of the continental club championship for the first time since 2011, scored three times in a first-half blitz at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium to provide a solid platform ahead of the second leg on Oct.19. The 2006 Asian champions made the breakthrough after 22 minutes when Brazilian Leonardo converted from the spot after Kim Shin-wook was brought down by Seoul's Kwak Tae-hwi inside the penalty area. Lopes doubled Jeonbuk's lead in the 26th minute with a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Yu Sang-hun after a neat interplay with Kim. Seoul were further punished before the interval when Leonardo headed in Lopes' cross for Jeonbuk's third. The visitors, who trail Jeonbuk by 14 points in the K-League, scored a crucial away goal just after the restart, through Ju Se-jong. But any hopes of a Seoul comeback on the night ended when Kim restored Jeonbuk's three-goal advantage in the 84th minute, as the hosts stretched their winning record against their local rivals to 4-0 in all competitions this season. AWAY GOAL TAKES SHINE OFF AL AIN VICTORY In the other semi-final, Al Ain secured a 3-1 first-leg victory over El Jaish in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Abdulrahman's surging run and cross set up Brazilian forward Dyanfres Douglas for a 17th-minute opener and the Al Ain skipper fired home a free kick five minutes later to double the home side's advantage. El Jaish, seeking their first appearance in the final, were overrun in the first half but were gifted a lifeline in the 52nd minute via Ismail Ahmed's handball in the box, and Sardor Rashidov made the home side pay when he calmly converted his spot kick for a potentially crucial away goal. The Qatari side then had several chances to equalise but were punished in stoppage time when Brazilian midfielder Caio scored from close range after goalkeeper Khalifa Ababacar had missed Abdulrahman's cross. (Reporting by Greg Stutchbury in Wellington and Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru,; Editing by John O'Brien and Neville Dalton)