Adelaide United maintained a narrow leadership of their Asian Champions League group with a tepid 0-0 draw against Changchun Yatai at Hindmarsh Stadium.

The Chinese champions had indicated pre-match they would be happy to escape Adelaide with a point, and it was duly achieved via a combination of sturdy defence and cynical time wasting.

Yatai captain Samuel Caballero provided the stumbling block for countless Adelaide attacks as Bruce Djite, Nathan Burns and Travis Dodd were unable to conjure a goal.

United came closest to scoring when Diego clattered the crossbar with a 66th minute effort from well outside the box.

"Diego was very good for us tonight, and a goal would've capped it off perfectly if that shot had gone in," Reds coach Aurelio Vidmar said.

"I was really pleased with everyone, it was a difficult game and everyone put in an effort.

"(Defensively) the work we've been doing at training has been working, and the next part of it is our movement and our conviction going forward - we'll certainly get better with that." Yatai coach Gao Hongbo said his men had started well but were guilty of conservatism after halftime.

"We had a very good effort in the first half especially in attack but in the second half we were a little conservative and Adelaide attacked very well," he said.

"If we want to progress to the next stage we will need to beat Adelaide when we play them at home." Lacking a trio of national team players ahead of China's World Cup qualifying date with the Socceroos, Yatai nonetheless started the better, impressing with their technique and movement from the back.

Vidmar had resolved to place his team on a more defensive footing for this competition and his players seemed largely intent on holding their territory.

Occasionally they would attack in the hope that a goal would eventually result through the talent of Djite and Burns or the dead ball delivery of Jason Spagnuolo and Lucas Pantelis.

Burns managed a glanced header on target in the eighth minute from Spagnuolo's free kick and also had a strong volley blocked close to goal in the 32nd, but it was Yatai that created the half's two best chances.

A 10th minute free kick presented striker Zadi Dah with a free header he directed straight at Adelaide stopper Eugene Galekovic and in the 32nd Dah took a clean strike at the end of a flowing counter that flashed centimetres wide of the post.

The second half proved a more open affair, though the goals never eventuated.

Burns pushed further forward to link up with Dodd and Djite, and on 49 minutes the latter's flick-on from a Cassio throw-in gave Burns a chance that was very well saved at close range by Tianhe Mi.

There were signs of fatigue among Yatai's midfielders and defence, and six minutes past the hour Diego was able to waltz forward from his holding role to fire a shot against the crossbar.

Djite's strength cleared a 71st minute path inside the box for Dodd, but he took less time than was available and scuffed the shot badly wide.

By now Yatai had committed to scrounging for the draw, and used numerous time wasting stratagems as the final whistle neared.

A quartet of visitors were booked for dawdling, but there was still time for Cornthwaite to fire a header over the bar from Cassio's free, and in stoppage time Ang Costanzo also headed over.

Cornthwaite's second yellow card in as many weeks means he will miss United's next fixture in Vietnam.

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