KAWASAKI (Kyodo) -- Kawasaki Frontale of the J-League battered Shanghai Shenhua of China 4-0 in the second leg of the Asian Champions League Elite round of 16 on Wednesday as they overturned a first-leg deficit to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

Two-time reigning domestic champions Vissel Kobe, however, exited the tournament after squandering a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, losing 3-0 after extra time away to Gwangju FC of South Korea.

At Uvance Todoroki Stadium, right-back Asahi Sasaki got Kawasaki level over the two legs with his 24th-minute opener as he drifted inside and struck a fine left-footed shot from the edge of the box that flew just inside the near post.

Quickfire second-half goals all but sealed the tie as Erison steered in Sasaki's early cross low into the net in the 64th minute before diminutive attacker Tatsuya Ito tapped in a cutback four minutes later. Marcinho, who set up Ito, put the icing on the cake with a goal in stoppage time.

"I'm very happy with the win. All our players deserve it," Erison said. "The manager told us to go out and attack from the start of the match and that had me focused."

Kobe suffered a shock turnaround away to Gwangju, who opened the scoring through Park Jeong In's looping header off a free kick in the 18th minute.

The visitors were still heading to the last eight until Takuya Iwanami was deemed to have handled the ball while vying for a cross, leaving Jasir Asani to score an 85th-minute penalty to force extra time.

With a penalty shootout looming, the Albania forward then hit a wonder goal from 25 meters out that went in off the bar in the 118th minute as Kobe's continental campaign came to an end.

"We couldn't show our character and that's my responsibility," Kobe manager Takayuki Yoshida said.

In the Asian Champions League Two, Sanfrecce Hiroshima lost 4-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their quarterfinal at Lion City Sailors of Singapore.

Hiroshima won the first leg 6-1 at home but it was turned into a 3-0 forfeit defeat after the Asian Football Confederation found the club had fielded new French forward Valere Germain, who was still serving a suspension.