Kashima Antlers Beat Pohang Steelers 3-0 in AFC Champions League Elite

Kashima Antlers beat Pohang Steelers 3 to 0 in the AFC Champions League Elite on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Mercari Stadium in Kashima. Ryuta Koike opened the scoring in the 69th minute, set up by Matheus Bueno. Aleksandar Cavric added the second in the 75th minute, and Matheus Bueno scored the third in the 87th minute. All three goals came late in the second half after a scoreless first half.

Half time was 0 to 0. Kashima pressed and held most of the ball while Pohang defended in shape and kept clear chances scarce. The pattern held for long stretches, with Kashima moving the ball in front of the Pohang block and Pohang trying to protect the centre and break when space opened.

The turning point after the break

The turning point was the 69th minute. Koike finished the move set up by Bueno to break the deadlock, and the game changed at once. Pohang had to push higher and leave more space, and Kashima used it. Cavric scored six minutes later in the 75th minute to make it 2 to 0, a goal that left Pohang with little time and a two goal gap to chase. Bueno, who had set up the opener, closed the match in the 87th minute with the third goal.

The numbers show the control behind the result. Kashima had 71 percent of possession to Pohang's 29 percent. Kashima had 15 shots with 6 on target, while Pohang had 4 shots with none on target. Corners were 4 to 3 for Kashima, according to the match data reported by Betora. Pohang defending in shape kept the game level for more than an hour, but the visitors did not record a shot on target in the full match.

What the result means

The result keeps Kashima's strong early form in the competition going, according to SokaLive's report. For Pohang, the report said the team is still looking to correct a difficult opening phase in the competition. Kashima will take confidence from the clean sheet and from scoring three times in the final stretch, while Pohang must find a way to create chances after a night when pressure built and clear openings stayed rare.

For Kashima, the manner of the win matters as much as the margin. The team stayed patient through a tight first hour, kept control of possession and then scored three times in eighteen minutes once the first goal arrived. For Pohang, the lack of a shot on target is the clear problem to fix before the next match, because defending in shape alone could not hold Kashima out for the full ninety minutes.

No league table positions or points are claimed in this report, because the sources used here did not provide a verified updated table for the group stage at the time of the match report.