Yokohama F. Marinos handed 10-man Buriram United from Thailand a 5-0 thrashing on Wednesday as the Japanese side moved up to third in the league phase of the Asian Champions League Elite standings.

Anderson Lopes scored twice after Sasalak Haiprakhon was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Jean Aziangbe to give interim coach John Hutchison his second win in four games and move last season¡¯s finalist to seven points.

Former champion Pohang Steelers also picked up its second win of the campaign when the South Koreans handed Shandong Taishan a 4-2 defeat to move into the qualification spots for the knockout rounds.

The first eight finishers in the 12-team leagues in both east and west advance to March¡¯s knockout rounds with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final to be played in a centralized hub in Saudi Arabia in April and May.

Marinos continued their recovery from a heavy 7-3 loss in their opening game of the competition against South Korea¡¯s Gwangju FC to move up the table with a comprehensive win in Yokohama.

Kenta Inoue put his side ahead in the 11th minute with a curling effort as he stepped in from the right, and in the 27th minute, Sasalak was dismissed for his lunge on Aziangbe.

The red card led to Buriram¡¯s collapse, with Anderson scoring his first from the spot after referee Adel Al-Naqbi awarded a contentious penalty in stoppage time when the ball hit Guilherme Bissoli on the hand.

Two minutes later, Buriram goalkeeper Neil Etheridge fumbled Hijiri Kato¡¯s low shot over his own line to add to the Thai side¡¯s misery.

Lopes scored on the turn 12 minutes into the second half, and Asahi Uenaka netted from close range to complete the rout.

Pohang, meanwhile, secured a victory at home over Shandong thanks to a second-half goal blitz that saw the Korean club strike three times in 12 minutes to take the points.