Defender Michael Valkanis' 47th-minute own goal handed Shandong, quarter-finalists in this competition in 2005, a victory they barely deserved in the Group G encounter after a lacklustre performance.

And though Adelaide had few clear-cut chances themselves throughout, Vidmar was happy with the commitment and desire shown by the players.

"I thought we thoroughly deserved something out of that game, especially in the second half which I thought was outstanding," Vidmar said.

"The way the players showed passion and commitment, I was extremely proud of the way they went about their game."

Fellow Australian newcomers Sydney FC survived a late fightback from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua to pick up a 2-1 win on their ACL debut in Shanghai.

Steve Corica and Ufuk Talay gave the A-League side a two-goal lead with a pair of top-class strikes inside the first 23 minutes and, although Xie Hui pulled one back for Shanghai with 13 minutes remaining, Sydney held on for the victory.

Urawa Reds had a perfect debut in the ACL as they defeated Indonesia's Persik Kediri 3-0 in their Group E opening match.

Urawa dominated throughout and went ahead in the 12th minute when former Japan international Nobuhisa Yamada slotted home a Yuki Abe rebound from close range.

Reds added a second in first-half injury time when Robson Ponte dribbled down the middle before feeding the ball to Yuichiro Nagai who then fired home.

Former Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono curled a brilliant effort into the top corner of the net from just outside of the box, ensuring a fine victory for the Reds.

Dong Tam Long An coach Henrique Calista bemoaned the blizzard-like conditions as his side went down 4-1 to former Asian champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in Group G.

The Vietnamese side struggled to adapt to the freezing temperatures and driving snow as striker Mota scored in each half for Seongnam with Kim Dong-hyun and Adrian Neaga getting on the scoresheet in the second period before the visitors grabbed a late consolation through Kabanga Tshamala.

And Calista believes the game should have been called off, especially after star player Antonio suffered an injury due to the conditions.

"It was a mistake to continue in these conditions," he said. "My players have never experienced anything like this before.

"We didn't intend to come out and defend against Seongnam but it was difficult to do any kind of attacking or pass the ball about. Our best player Antonio is injured because of the snow."

Elsewhere, a brace by Magnum Tavares lifted Kawasaki Frontale of Japan to a 3-1 win against Arema Malang in their opening Group F match.

The Brazilian opened the scoring for the visitors after 55 seconds and restored Kawasaki's lead in the second half after Elie Aiboy had headed the Indonesian side level.

Kengo Nakamura added an insurance goal with eight minutes remaining to seal the three points for the J.League outfit.

In the night's other game Bangkok University drew 0-0 with Chunnam Dragons.