Pohang Steelers coach Waldemar Lemos was full of praise for his players after last night's tough 2-1 away win over Chinese club Shandong Luneng.

The reigning Asian champions joined Australian club Adelaide United on the top of Group H with nine points from four matches thanks to goals from Jae-Sung Kim and Tae-Su Kim and their Brazilian manager was delighted with the win against a strong opponent.

"My players held their nerve to score a late goal though Shandong proved a constant menace to our defence throughout the match," he said.

"This was why we could walk away with three points. This was really a tough game because Shandong played extremely well.

"It was very difficult for us in certain periods of the game," he added.

"Fortunately, my players were able to read the development of the game correctly and got the job done just perfectly.

"I also want to express my respect to Shandong for their superb play today."