Despite being away from home and going down early, Shanghai recovered to eventually prevail after a dramatic penalty shootout, and they can be thankful to their star man for the historic win.

Oscar netted in the final round of penalties to give SIPG the win after Lee Dong-gook had seen his spot-kick saved by Yan Junling as Vitor Pereira’s side joined compatriots Guangzhou Evergrande in the last eight.

SIPG progressed after the second leg ended in a 1-1 draw at the end of 90 minutes, with Hulk cancelling out Kim Shin-wook’s opener for Jeonbuk to leave the tie level 2-2 on aggregate, with 30 minutes of extra time unable to separate the teams.

Ewerton added a third late in the game as the 2007 and 2017 winners overturned a 2-1 first leg loss at Saitama Stadium 2002 to secure a remarkable comeback and become the second Japanese side to advance to the last eight, 24 hours after Kashima Antlers achieved the same feat.

Last year’s winners had a pair of goals from Shoma Doi to thank for their win on the away goals rule that ensured the game ended in a 3-3 draw at the end of the two legs, and Oiwa was happy Kashima will be in the draw for the last eight in Kuala Lumpur on July 2.

“The most important point about today’s game is that we are now through to the next round,” he said.

“I know everyone will have different views about all that transpired during the match, but I hope we can build on this and regroup for our next J.League game against Hiroshima, then the quarter-finals.”

Former FC Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho is no stranger to the grandest of stages with FIFA World Cup campaigns and UEFA Champions League appearances in his career so far.

And, indeed, Paulinho memorably announced himself to Asia's football fans with an incredible goal in the 2015 AFC Champions League quarter-finals.

So it may have come as little surprise that on Tuesday night he was once more of pivotal importance to Guangzhou.

The Italian’s team needed a penalty shootout to book their place in the last eight after Shandong overturned Guangzhou’s 2-1 first leg advantage to take the game into extra-time, where both teams found the net again before penalties were required.

And with Zhong Yihao scoring in the sixth round of spot-kicks after Liu Dianzuo had saved Cui Peng’s effort for Shandong, Guangzhou saw off their compatriots having exited the competition at the hands of Shanghai SIPG and Tianjin Quanjian in each of the last two seasons.

Doi’s brace at Hiroshima Athletic Stadium proved decisive as the defending champions advanced to the last eight despite a spirited effort from hosts Sanfrecce who scored three times themselves to win 3-2 on the night, if not on aggregate.