Makoto Hasebe and Tatsuya Tanaka scored as Japan's Urawa Reds defeated South Korea's Chonbuk Motors 2-1 in an Asian Champions league quarterfinal match.
Hasebe put the hosts up 1-0 just four minutes in at Saitama Stadium, and Tanaka doubled the lead in the 59th minute for the J-League and Emperor's Cup title holders.
Knowing that a 2-0 deficit would be almost impossible to overcome in the second leg, the defending champions fought back in a desperate attempt to limit the damage.
Their efforts were rewarded when Choi Jin-cheul scored with a low shot from a corner in the dying minutes.
Chonbuk, given a bye to the single-elimination phase of the competition, will host Urawa in the second leg on Sept. 26.
Urawa finished top in Group E of the preliminary round with 10 points from six games.
Chonbuk defeated Syria's Al Karma 3-2 on aggregate in last year's final.
Seongnam Ilhwa down Al Karama
Chonbuk's Korean rivals Seongnam Ilhwa fared better, overcoming slippery conditions at home to fight back from 1-0 down and beat last year's runners-up Al Karama, of Syria, 2-1.
Al Karama's Senegalese striker Senghor Koupouleni stunned the home side when he headed home a rebound on nine minutes after Zyad Chaabo's shot crashed against the bar.
But the introduction of Seongnam's substitute striker Kim Min-ho proved inspired as he led his team's comeback in the 72nd minute by scoring the equaliser only two minutes after coming on for midfielder Kim Cheol-ho.
Karama had barely restarted before Cho Byung-kuk gave the Koreans the lead within 90 seconds by heading in Kim Do-heon's corner.
In the other quarter-final matches later on Wednesday, Iran's Sepahan host Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale while Al Wahda, of the United Arab Emirates, are at home to Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal.