The hosts had started brightly, with Jeong Jae-hee dragging his fourth minute shot from the right across the face of the Vissel Kobe goal having seen an earlier attempt blocked as the visitors’ defence was stretched by a Daejeon counter attack.

Komatsu forced Lee Chang-guen into a reflex save in the 15th minute, the Daejeon goalkeeper sticking out his left hand to keep out a low strike that was destined for the bottom corner.

Daejeon struggled to build on their initial promise with Joao Victor slashing his attempt high and wide before Kobe’s Shuichi Gonda was called upon to make his first save of note in the 24th minute.

The former Japan international reacted sharply to drop low to his right to keep out Victor’s attempt, the Brazilian unleashing after link-up play between Diogo Oliveira and Kim Jun-bum had set the forward up to test the Kobe keeper.

Komatsu pounced on Anton Kryvotsiuk deep inside the Daejeon half to win possession in the 37th minute and set up Yuta Goke but his strike from distance was blocked by Lee Chang-guen as he threw himself to his left.

Daejeon’s pace on the counter almost unlocked the Kobe defence in the final minute of the first half, Jeong Jae-hee bursting down the right side to unleash a right-foot shot that Gonda saved at the second attempt.