Urawa’s 2-0 first-leg win over the Chinese side three weeks ago gave them the upper hand going into the return meeting at the Tianhe Stadium on Wednesday and, after withstanding first-half pressure, Koroki’s 50th-minute goal all but killed the tie off as the 2007 and 2017 champions secured a 3-0 aggregate victory.

Urawa have been struggling domestically as they hover dangerously near the J.League relegation zone but have been superb on the Continent and the striker, who notched his eighth goal of the campaign, revealed that his teammates were spurred by comments made by Guangzhou’s Italian coach.

Shinzo Koroki’s 50th minute header sealed Urawa’s place in the final, where they will meet Al Hilal SFC from Saudi Arabia in a rematch of the 2017 decider, as the J.League side completed a 3-0 aggregate win over Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou Evergrande.

Guangzhou’s quest for a third continental title came to an end on Wednesday when Shinzo Koroki’s second half header ensured Urawa added the Chinese Super League leaders’ scalp to that of Beijing FC and Shanghai SIPG.

Urawa eliminated Beijing in the group phase before defeating Shanghai in the quarter-finals and claimed their third Chinese victim at the Tianhe Stadium when they finished off a 3-0 aggregate win over Cannavaro’s team.

Koroki’s 50th minute goal earned Urawa a 3-0 aggregate win over the Chinese Super League leaders and ensured the final will be a repeat of the 2017 clash, when Urawa defeated Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia over two legs to claim their second AFC Champions League crown.

The pair will face off again after Al Hilal's win over Al Sadd from Qatar on Tuesday evening and Urawa will now have the chance to become the first club to win the trophy on three occasions, having seen off a Guangzhou side attempting to overcome a two-goal first leg deficit to keep their own hopes of a third AFC Champions League title alive.

Al Hilal came close to losing their 4-1 advantage from the semi-final, first leg but goals from Salem Al Dawsari and Bafetimbi Gomis secured the Saudi Arabia club a 6-5 aggregate win and a place in the final against either Guangzhou Evergrande or Urawa Red Diamonds.

Goals from Akram Afif, Nam Tae-hee, Hassan Al Haydos and Boualem Khoukhi saw Al Sadd defeat Al Hilal SFC 4-2 in the second leg of the semi-finals at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, but Salem Al Dawsari and Bafetimbi Gomis' first half efforts ensured the Saudi Arabia club advanced 6-5 on aggregate.

With the advantage of a three-goal lead from the first leg and a huge crowd behind them, Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal took the game to their opponents from the start, and within five minutes they had created their first big chance.