Brazilian winger Hernandes scored twice in a four-minute span to secure Asian Champions League debutants Incheon United a 4-2 upset against J-League heavyweights Yokohama F Marinos in their opening Group G match on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old attacker delivered a game-winning performance off the bench for the visiting K League side, who made the most of limited possession at Nissan Stadium as they repeatedly exposed the J1 champions on the counter.
Marinos twice fought back from a goal down in the first half, with Takuma Nishimura equalizing after Incheon opened on an own goal and Ryo Miyaichi making it 2-2 after the Korean outfit went ahead again thanks to a superb counterattacking effort from winger Gerso.
After coming on in the 61st minute, Hernandes quickly made his presence felt by rattling the woodwork with a long-range effort on the break.
The substitute broke the deadlock as Incheon surged from inside their own half in the 75th minute, finishing at full flight from the right of the area after a through ball found him with plenty of space.
He then doubled the lead with a rocket from outside the box after Incheon quickly won back possession in attacking territory.
A "bitterly disappointed" Marinos manager Kevin Muscat said his team had made things far too easy for the visitors.
"When you concede four goals at home, it overrides everything else in the performance," Muscat said. "I think nearly every time they attacked, they scored against us. It's something that needs to improve, and quickly."
