Kobe took the lead with their first real attack of note, Osako receiving a return pass on the edge of the area from Haruya Ide before setting up Erik to lash a right-foot shot into the top corner of Chen Wei’s goal.

Gustavo was presented with the opportunity to level the scores when the Kobe defence struggled to deal with a long ball down the middle that landed in the path of the Brazilian, but goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa blocked the striker’s weak shot.

Moments later Matheus Jussa flashed a left-foot volley just wide of Maekawa’s right post while the Kobe goalkeeper had to be at his sharpest to keep out Li Shenglong’s close range header, pushing the ball clear after Gustavo’s overhead kick had set up his team mate.

Osako almost added the second for the visitors with a little over six minutes left in the half, the former Japan international stroking a low, first-time effort towards the bottom corner but Chen reacted quickly enough to save with his left hand.

Kobe’s second would come a minute later, however, with Erik turning provider. The winger twisted past the Shanghai Port defence, sprinting down the right channel into space to deliver an inch-perfect cross onto Miyashiro’s head. The forward duly converted.

The visitors’ third followed soon after, the overlapping Gotoku Sakai latching onto Erik’s scooped pass behind the defence and the defender’s cutback found Osako with the time and space to calmly convert.

Miyashiro prevented Li Shenglong from pulling one back for Shanghai in the 57th minute when he dropped to his left to turn the forward’s shot on the turn around the post while Gabrielzinho missed with a header soon after.

Substitute Yoshinori Muto missed the opportunity to add a fourth for Kobe 17 minutes from time while Gustavo launched a free kick high over the Kobe crossbar soon after as the visitors took the points.