The match swung one way then the other and then back again, before Serginho struck late on to send the Japanese side into their maiden continental showpiece.

Kashima took a 1-0 lead on the night to leave them 4-2 ahead on aggregate, but after conceding three goals in nine second half minutes it looked as though they were heading for a dramatic exit from the competition.

The 23-year-old revealed that the players staged a get-together after falling behind though, stressing the need to keep their heads and not let Suwon’s growing momentum knock them off course.

“We were all saying that we needed to calm down and regain our composure,” he said of the exchange. “We knew if we could pull level (on aggregate) then we’d be back in with a chance, and I’m delighted we were able to do that.”

Shuto Yamamoto opened the scoring for Kashima on a roller-coaster night at the Suwon World Cup Stadium, before three Suwon goals in nine second half minutes from Im Sang-Hyeob, Jo Sung-Jin, and Dejan Damjanovic spun the tie on its head.

Daigo Nishi then pulled one back for Kashima to make it all square on away goals, before Serginho slammed home late on to send his side into November’s showpiece against Persepolis from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran side came into the match with a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Doha, and despite conceding 16 minutes into the game, they kept their composure, remaining disciplined and retaliating through Siamak Nemati's 49th minute strike which was enough to send them into the final.

As the final whistle went at the Azadi Stadium, Iraqi midfielder Bashar Resan broke into tears, overwhelmed by a huge result that came just days after his mother had passed away.

Resan had been on international duty with Iraq in the past week when he received the news about the bereavement.

The Tehran side began the match with a one-goal advantage from the first leg in Doha and an expectant Azadi Stadium was full to capacity, generating an atmosphere that would have rivalled anything the competition has ever see.

But they were stunned into silence inside 20 minutes when the tournament’s top scorer Baghdad Bounedjah swept home his record-equaling 13th of the campaign. Persepolis raised their game after the interval and hit back in the 49th minute as Siamac Nemati volleyed in Godwin Mensha’s cross with what proved the decisive goal.

Nemati was the hero at Azadi Stadium on Tuesday as the midfielder volleyed home an equaliser early in the second half to level the scores at 1-1 on the night and, after the Tehran side won the first leg 1-0, his strike proved enough to secure a place in the final against Japan’s Kashima Antlers.

Persepolis will be the first Iranian team to appear in the final since Zobahan in 2010, while Sepahan also played in the showpiece event in 2007, but both sides suffered defeats and, with the competition now in its 16th edition, the Islamic Republic of Iran is still seeking its first title.