OSAKA, Japan: Gamba Osaka substitute Koki Yonekura struck a 93rd minute winner to send them through to the AFC Champions League semifinals with a dramatic 3-2 victory over a luckless Jeonbuk Motors on Wednesday.

With Jeonbuk set to advance 2-2 on away goals, the defender was sent clear and finished to wild celebrations at the Expo 70 Commemorative Stadium and set the Japanese side up with a last four clash against Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande.

Some Jeonbuk players looked close to tears after Yonekura’s late strike, having thought they had done enough to advance when Spanish striker Urko Vera came off the bench to head an 88th minute equalizer in a topsy-turvy second leg.

After being frustrated in a goalless first leg at home by Gamba, Jeonbuk, runaway K-League leaders, were quick to show their attacking capabilities in a bright opening.

They thought they had taken a fourth minute lead when Lee Kuen-ho headed home from close range but the effort was ruled out for a push on Shu Kurata.

However, eight minutes later Jeonbuk’s Brazilian Leonardo sent the keeper the wrong way with a low, rifled penalty after Daiki Niwa blocked a shot from Park Won-jae with his hands.

The hosts though, were quickly level in fortunate circumstances after another Brazilian, Patric, was left free to tap in from close range.

The goal was awarded despite two Gamba players standing in offside positions as the Jeonbuk backline raced forward when the free kick was swung in.

Gamba, without suspended top scorer Takashi Usami, struggled in front of goal before midfielder Kurata let fly with a powerful 75th minute long-range drive which was deflected cruelly into the corner of the Jeonbuk net.

With time running out Vera looked to have put Jeonbuk through to a first semifinal since 2011 with a strong header only for Yonekura’s dramatic finale to crush the visitors.

In West Asia action later on Wednesday, Emiratis Al-Ahli host Iran’s Naft Tehran looking to convert a 1-0 first-leg lead into a semifinal spot against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, which were forced to battle back from a second leg deficit but did enough to snatch a 2-2 draw with Qatari champions Lekhwiya to join China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Guangzhou had earlier advanced to the semifinals after a 1-1 draw with Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol at the Tianhae Sport Center Stadium to give the four-time Chinese Super League champions a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Brazilian defender Digao scored an 87th-minute equalizer at the Abdullah bin Khalifa stadium in Doha after the home side had given themselves hope of overturning a 4-1 first leg deficit with goals from Ismail Mohammed and Chico Flores.

Midfielder Carlos Eduardo had given last year’s AFC Champions League finalists a comfortable 5-1 aggregate lead in the 26th minute before they became fatigued and allowed Lekhwiya back into the tie.

Mohammed beat Al Hilal’s goalkeeper Khalid Sharahili with the final kick of the first half with a strike from the edge of the area while Flores headed home Nam Tae-hee’s corner with 19 minutes remaining before Digao killed off their hopes.

“It was a crucial moment when they scored 1-1 in the last second of the first half and every time in every game is difficult,” Al Hilal’s Greek coach Georgios Donis said.

“We gave a lot and we were tired, but we scored and we qualified for the next round.”