Urawa Reds edged FC Seoul 1-0 at home in the first leg of the round of 16 in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday night.
Midfielder Tomoya Ugajin scored with a sensational strike to give Reds a first-half lead they would hold on to and take a slim advantage into the away leg next week in the South Korean capital.
"We controlled the game for 75 minutes and won 1-0, but we would have liked a second and third goal," said Urawa manager Mihailo Petrovic.