The J.League side had already secured their passage to the next phase with their final match remaining, and goals from 2018 Asian Games silver medallist Taishi Matsumoto, Yusuke Minagawa and Tsukasa Morishima ensured Jofuku’s side notched up a fifth win in a row in Group F.

“I picked a lot of players who haven't been playing in the J.League,” said Jofuku, who has sought to juggle his squad throughout the group phase. “We've had some issues scoring in the league so we tried to make sure to address that in today's game.

“I thought the match was important because to get through an entire season we need everyone in the squad to contribute and we managed to score three goals. It's an incredible effort.”

Nagasawa came off the bench with only 13 minutes on the clock after Kashiwagi had picked up an early knock, and by the 34th minute he had scored the opener before laying the ball off for Yuki Muto to double Urawa’s lead seven minutes later.

That crucial intervention meant Urawa picked up a win that guaranteed their progress to the next round, where they will meet 2012 champions Ulsan Hyundai in the Round of 16.

Needing a win to secure a place in the last 16, Oscar’s first-half brace calmed any nerves among the Chinese Super League champions, before Li Shenglong added a third – his first-ever goal in the competition – to effectively secure the three points and qualification.

Oscar grabbed his hat-trick soon after and Hu Jinghang rounded off the scoring late on as Shanghai progressed to the knockout rounds for the fourth successive year and Li was left with a night to remember.

A pacey and clinical striker at his peak, Majidi was a key member of the Al Ain side that lifted the inaugural AFC Champions League in 2002-03.

In the semi-final against China PR’s Dalian Shide, Al Ain had won the first leg at home 4-2, but the Chinese side had clawed the difference, winning 4-2 in Dalian. That is until Majidi received the ball on the edge of the area, dribbled past one defender and finished into the bottom corner to send his side to the final with a 7-6 aggregate score.

The K League side were unable to break down Buriram’s well-organised back line throughout the 90 minutes at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, but the result mattered little as Morais and his team had already guaranteed themselves top spot in the group.

Chinese Super League side Guangzhou had to win at Tianhe Stadium to qualify as runners-up from Group F behind Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima, with Korean FA Cup winners Daegu only needing a draw to progress.

And it was the home side who claimed the result they needed as Huang Bowen’s corner found the back of the net, with Guangzhou's Paulinho credited with the goal despite Jeong Tae-wook appearing to turn the ball into his own net from the edge of the six-yard area just after the hour mark.

Sanfrecce, who had already qualified for the last 16 as Group F winners, opened the scoring after just five minutes at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium courtesy of a header from Taishi Matsumoto.

Ola Toivonen’s free-kick briefly pulled the home side level with 20 minutes remaining, but quickfire goals from Yusuke Minagawa and Tsukasa Morishima secured the win for the visitors.

The former Chelsea star claimed a hat-trick in a virtuoso display for the Chinese Super League champions, who claimed second place in Group H at the expense of J.League champions Kawasaki Frontale.

The win means Shanghai will take on Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the next round and Pereira was delighted with his team’s performance.