Goals in each half from Yuki Muto and substitute Shinzo Koroki gave Urawa Reds a winning start to the year as Mihailo Petrovic's men downed Sydney FC in their Group H opener in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday night.
Muto, who got his break under Graham Arnold when the Sydney coach was in charge of Vegalta Sendai in 2014, opened the scoring early in the first half before Koroki converted from the penalty spot to seal victory midway through the second half.
Urawa emerged as the only Japanese team to win their first ACL game. In a Group G game, Gamba Osaka earned a 0-0 draw away to South Korea's Suwon Bluewings. J. League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima and FC Tokyo both lost on Tuesday.