The teams had shared a tense scoreless draw in Chuncheon last week but there was little of the caginess that characterised the first leg encounter on show in the return.

Machida’s Yuki Soma pulled an early effort wide while Kosei Tani was called into action in the 10th minute, the home goalkeeper keeping out Song Jun-seok’s attempt from distance. Li Gi-hyuk was marginally off target two minutes later as Gangwon made a positive start.

But by the 25th minute the hosts had gone ahead. Na Sang-ho swung a right-footed cross from the left towards the far side of the penalty area and Nakamura ghosted past Kang Jun-hyul to steer a header past Park Chung-hyo, beating the goalkeeper via the inside of the post.

Park was then called into action 10 minutes before the break to prevent Gangwon going further behind, the 36-year-old reacting quickly to push Na’s well-struck effort from 12 yards over the crossbar after the winger had cut inside to shoot towards goal.

Gangwon threatened three minutes into the second half, half-time substitute Abdallah Halaihal seeing his shot blocked by the Machida defence. The rebound fell at the feet of Kim Dae-won and Tani made a fine double save to twice deny the Gangwon forward.

Kang Yun-gu’s shot from 25 yards out in the 75th minute was always rising over the Machida crossbar as the visitors grew ever more desperate to find the goal necessary to keep their hopes in the competition alive.

Park prevented Na from doubling Machida’s lead with a little more 10 minutes remaining when the Korea Republic international barged through the middle of the Gangwon defence, the goalkeeper making a point blank save.

And Tete Yengi could have sealed the win for the hosts in stoppage time when he was left one-on-one with Park but he steered a harmless effort into the goalkeeper’s hands. But it mattered little as Machida kept Gangwon at bay to progress.