Kashiwa Reysol moved into the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League on away goals after a 2-2 draw against Al Shabab on Wednesday.
And after a pulsating return fixture, it was a goal from Naoya Kondo that proved to be the difference, as his second-half header sent the Japanese through.
Al Shabab struck the first blow, with Naif Hazazi edging them ahead after 10 minutes with a powerful header from Macnelly Toress' corner.
However, their celebrations were cut short when Reysol levelled just three minutes later.
Tae-Hwi Kwak gifted the visitors a way back into the tie when he turned the ball past his own goalkeeper from close range to level the scores.
And Reysol put on foot in the last four when Kondo edged them ahead, heading in the crucial away goal after 73 minutes.
With time running out Hassan Fallatah levelled on the night, but it was not enough as the Reysol became the first Japanese club to reach the semi-finals since 2009.
They will now face Guangzhou Evergrande after Marcello Lippi cruised past Lekhwiya 4-1 in their second leg clash in Qatar to win 6-1 on aggregate.
On the other side of the draw, Dejan Damjanovic's last-gasp winner sealed Seoul's place in their first ever AFC Champions league semi-final with a 1-0 win over Al Ahli.
The Montenegro international confirmed his side's progress to the semi-finals for the first time in their history with his second goal of the tie in the 90th minute to earn them a 2-1 aggregate victory over last season's beaten finalists.
They will come up against Iranian side Esteghlal after they overcame Buriram United 2-1 to win their tie 3-1.