JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs, and Kawasaki Frontale in the semifinals of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite.

All support actors, brought in to serve as the foil to a bigger star, only to put in a performance that stole the limelight.

Wednesday evening wasn't supposed to be about Kawasaki advancing to a first-ever continental decider, which they did by defeating Saudi Pro League powers Al Nassr 3-2 at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.

It was supposed to be about Cristiano Ronaldo booking a place on Asia's biggest stage after missing out last year. About Sadio Mané, Jhon Durán, and Marcelo Brozović joining him.

It was supposed to be about Al Nassr's massive investment in its squad delivering it a first final appearance in 30 years, and just its second overall.

It was supposed to be a crowning moment for Saudi Arabian football, as an all-SPL final between Al Ahli and Al Nassr was set for Saturday evening.

The Japanese side, meanwhile, were coming to the contest with a day's less rest than their opponents and, after needing extra-time to defeat Al Saad on Sunday, also an extra half-hour on their legs -- Al Nassr having comfortably handed Yokohama F. Marinos 3-1 the day prior.

Whereas the side in yellow had only needed to make the short flight from Riyadh to Jeddah for the game and thus had a sizable contingent of support in the stands, Frontale needed to undergo the nearly 16-hour journey from Japan and only had a small pocket of blue cheering them on from a corner of the ground.

But then Shigetoshi Hasebe's side only went and upset the apple cart.

Yuto Ozeki's 41st-minute strike gave them a 2-1 halftime buffer after Tatsuya Itō's 10th-minute opener was cancelled out by Mané.

38-year-old substitute Akihiro Ienaga, after some standout work from another substitute in Erison in the build-up, delivered a cushion in the 76th -- one large enough to absorb Ayman Yahya's 87th-minute response and secure a Hollywood ending.

Moving as one in both attack and defence, being clinical in the moments they were given the chance to be, and not making the same kind of errors that dragged down the Saudi Arabian side, it ultimately didn't matter that they surrendered three-quarters of possession.

When the moments came where they needed to act, they proved they were ready.

And when referee Alireza Faghani's final whistle rang out after six minutes of added time, Azzurro Nero had one of the finest moments in its proud history. Indeed, while much of the fallout will inevitably fall on Al Nassr's elimination, such is the nature of their star power, Wednesday evening was a crowning moment for the J1 League powers.

Finally, after setting the standard in Japanese football for so long, Kawasaki is headed for Asia's grandest stage.

Under former coach Toru Oniki, they were frequently unassailable on a domestic level, winning four league titles between 2017 and 2021, a J.League Cup, three Super Cups and two Emperor's Cups.

But in all that time, they only ever managed to make it into the final eight of the Asia's premier club competition just the once, in 2017. On that occasion they fell to Japanese rivals and eventual winners Urawa Red Diamonds, winning the first leg of their tie 3-1 only to fall to a 4-1 defeat in the return contest.

This time around, though, thanks to the new ACLE format adopted by the Asian Football Confederation, they don't need to worry about a return leg.

Instead, their thoughts can turn to the final, where they'll be tasked with producing another remarkable performance to stop an increasingly-rampant Al Ahli outfit that defeated Al Hilal 3-1 on Tuesday evening.

Admittedly, when Durán stung the palms of keeper Louis Yamaguchi inside the opening 60 seconds, things looked a bit grim.

Hasebe had spoken about wanting to challenge the perception that Al Nassr's progression to the final was a fait accompli before the game, and -- while that has shown to be sage-like in hindsigh -- this wasn't the best of starts.

But then the Japanese side began to show signs of life. Of hints that they weren't going to be passive bit-players for the evening.

In the third minute, Itō whipped in a dangerous-looking cross that Mohamed Simakan was forced to head away for the first of a couple of corners and then in the 6th, Marcinho won the ball back inside Al Nassr's half, stormed to the top of the box and just shot wide.

Then in the 10th minute, all but the blue and black corner of the stadium was left stunned when Simakan's attempt to head away a Marcinho delivery sat up perfectly for Itō at the top of the box -- with the resulting volley struck so sweetly that Bento's despairing dive stood no chance of stopping it before it nestled into the top corner of the net.

Stung, Al Nassr imposed themselves back on the game. With the stakes as high as they were, with the talent that a squad valued at nearly US$200 million affords, and with one of the finest continental performers of all-time in Ronaldo leading the line, you knew they would.

Slowly but surely, nearly all of the possession was in the hands of those in yellow, and the game was camped out in the Kawasaki side of the field.

A moment of brilliance from Mané then restored parity -- the former Liverpool star holding off Itō as he cut inside before lacing an effort from the top of the box that took a slight touch that ensured Yamaguchi could only palm the ball into his net.

In the 33rd, Ronaldo had his best chance of the game: soaring over Kōta Takai to meet a lofted Brozović pass with a trademark header.

It was the type of header that has filled highlight reels of the Portuguese superstar for over a decade, his 40 years still unable to suppress the superhuman spring he can generate with his legs. But while the Al Nassr skipper had Yamaguchi dead to rights, he couldn't beat the crossbar.

Al Nassr were then afforded the chance to break in transition six minutes later, with Ronaldo squaring the ball for Durán only for the Colombian to fizz his shot wide of the post.

It was a turning point as, two minutes later, Itō pounced on a pass that went behind Ozeki and sprinted into the box. His attempted pass for Soma Kanda deflected back into his path and, while Bento saved that attempt, he couldn't do anything about Ozeki's follow-up.

Al Nassr missed their chance. Kawasaki didn't.

Another surge came in the second half but again the Japanese side weathered the storm. And when Erison took the ball towards the corner flag only to then turn, surge past his man and tee up Ienaga, what was about to happen suddenly started to dawn in the minds of all in attendance.

But boy, did they have to earn it.

Ayman's 87th-minute strike closed the deficit to within one and time seemingly slowed to a crawl; Al Nassr throwing everything they had at Kawasaki and then a bit more. But somehow, miraculously, an equaliser didn't come.

With no defenders around him, Durán somehow couldn't get a proper shot off when the ball bounced to him in the box soon after the restart.

Yamaguchi produced a series of stunning saves in added time, including one incredible effort with his legs to deny a Ronaldo free kick. Ronaldo then rounded the custodian, only for the desperate defence to clear the ball away and, with it, his hopes of adding an Asian crown to his European ones.

It was an ending that felt scripted in Hollywood. And Kawasaki was the star.

Author: Nanjembe Nelson 

Click here for more