After over 180 minutes without a goal in two previous meetings, it initially looked as though it had taken only 45 seconds on Tuesday to end the stalemate between Johor Darul Ta'zim and Buriram United.
But with a VAR review flagging a clear offside infringement, the wait went on.
In the 64th minute, the deadlock was finally broken.
With one casual swing of his left foot, Suphanat Mueanta proceeded to bend a sublime effort beyond Andoni Zubiaurre's despairing dive and inside the far post.
Considering how goals have been hard to come in their clashes, including an earlier meeting in the league stage, it was perhaps no surprise that a solitary goal was ultimately enough to decide the tie.
With Buriram's 1-0 win, they are through to the AFC Champions League Elite quarterfinals.
They have reached the last eight of Asian football's premier club competition once before in 2013. They will soon have the opportunity to go further than they ever have when the centralised finals -- to be held in Saudi Arabia -- take place at the end of April.
For JDT, the agonising wait to make it beyond the round of 16 for the first time ever -- and continue their quest to establish themselves among the continent's elite -- goes on.
It was not for a lack of trying.
They arguably created the better openings on Wednesday.
Bérgson da Silva's opening-minute effort was not the only goal they had disallowed.
With the final kick of the game in the 97th minute, Jorge Obregón spectacularly volleyed home an Arif Aiman cross only for the linesman to raise his flag.
Although replays suggested a retreating Dion Cools might have played Obregón onside, VAR would confirm that the original decision had been the right one -- leading to dramatic scenes with the final whistle coming shortly after.
In between both disallowed goals, Afiq Fazail had sent a shot straight into the post with plenty to aim for, while Óscar Arribas and Eddy Israfilov both had efforts cleared off the line.
Buriram goalkeeper Neil Etheridge was also in inspired form, producing a series of crucial saves to secure his side's progress.
JDT will have to go back to the drawing board, and perhaps Buriram are the perfect example to follow given the similar positions they find themselves in -- dominant on the domestic stage and clearly determined to make a wave on the bigger scene.
Buriram perhaps do not have as many big-name players as JDT but they all arrived in Thailand with established credentials and perform their roles to perfection.
Neighbouring countries have also been tapped, with Malaysia international Cools and Philippines duo Etheridge and Jefferson Tabinas all playing influential members of the team.
On the other end, JDT have splashed out on prominent names but their bench, while formidable on paper, appears overly stacked at times.
Ex-Real Madrid man Jesé did not start a single game in the ACL Elite, while Wednesday's substitutes also included Obregón and Heberty, as well as the unused Romel Morales.
That equates to four foreign attackers, if Colombian-born Malaysia international Morales is included, who were all waiting in the wings.
Former LaLiga stalwarts Samu Castillejo and Jonathan Viera featured from the start, as did Bérgson -- who has spent his entire time in the Malaysia Super League bullying opposition defences into submission.
Yet JDT could not find a goal.
All is not lost for the Southern Tigers.
They clearly belong on the biggest stage Asian football has to offer, and their campaign produced memorable victories over Shanghai Shenhua, Ulsan HD, Central Coast Mariners and Pohang Steelers.
Nonetheless, the search continues for the one or two elements they are just missing in order to take the next step at this level.