Up till the first leg of the semifinals four weeks ago, Vietnam's Công An Hà Nội had been the most-prolific side in the ASEAN Club Championship.
15 goals from five group-stage matches were testament to the firepower at coach Alexandré Pölking's disposal.
Then, an off night at the office in front of goal put their campaign in jeopardy as a 1-0 first-leg loss to PSM Makassar in the last four at the start of the month -- their first of the campaign -- meant they had a deficit to overturn if they were to deliver on their promise as title favourites and reach the final.
On Wednesday, with the backing of their vociferous fans at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium, they duly got the job done.
Yet, for all the attacking talent that had previously led the way, it was a couple of unlikely goalscoring heroes who initiated the 2-0 second-leg win that sealed a 2-1 aggregate triumph over PSM.
At halftime, it was shaping up to be another trying evening for the Vietnamese hosts.
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Once again, they were dominating possession but just lacked any creative or clinical edge in the attacking third - despite boasting the likes of Nguyễn Quang Hải, Alan Grafite, Phan Văn Đức and Lê Văn Đô.
But just three minutes after the restart, CAHN were able to breathe easier.
A corner swung in by Quang Hải was glanced on towards the far post and, despite having barely a moment to react, Hugo Gomes' instinctive swing of his right foot ended up sending the ball arrowing into the back of the net.
In fairness, Gomes is one of those centre-backs that do occasionally pop up at the other end of the field to good effect -- having netted four goals in 17 V.League 1 appearances so far this season, although he certainly would not have been top of the predicted list to break the deadlock.
With the aggregate parity restored and CAHN still very much in control of the match, another set-piece soon led to a second.
This time, the corner was initially cleared to the edge of the area but, as Jason Pendant helped it back into a dangerous spot, Bùi Hoàng Việt Anh produced the silkiest of first touches to kill a looping ball dead at his feet before expertly stroking a left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
Likewise, Việt Anh finding the back of the net was more improbable rather than impossible.
The 26-year-old Vietnam international has a decent scoring record for a defensive player, undoubtedly aided by him occasionally being deployed in midfield.
Still, on a night when CAHN were without one four-goal star in Brazilian marksman Léo Artur while the other, Văn Đô, was quieter than usual -- and with another import Tháileon continuing to have to bide his time on the bench -- it was certainly handy to have alternative avenues to goal.
Crucial, even, considering it has led to them marching on into the ASEAN Club Championship final.
Never mind the fact that, from all of the more-probable candidates, it was a couple of unlikely heroes that got the goals to keep CAHN's dream of regional glory alive.