League Stage
Machida kicked off their maiden continental campaign with draws with Korea Republic's FC Seoul (1-1) and Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim (0-0).

A 2-0 win against China PR's Shanghai Port FC on Matchday Three sparked celebrations but the Japanese side came crashing down to earth as a last-gasp Andrew Nabbout goal secured Melbourne City FC a 2-1 win in their next game.

Go Kuroda's side responded to the defeat in fine fashion, beating Korea Republic's Gangwon FC 3-1 in an away encounter and followed that up by winning with a similar score against two-time champions Ulsan HD FC.

A third win on the trot - a 2-0 victory against China PR's Shanghai Shenhua - meant Machida were through to the Round of 16 but they didn't let up as a 3-2 win against Chengdu Rongcheng confirmed them as the top team in the East Zone League Stage.

Round of 16
They renewed their rivalry with fellow debutant side Gangwon FC in the Round of 16, with the first leg ending in a goalless draw.

Playing the return fixture at home, Hotaka Nakamura gave them the lead in the 25th minute and despite Gangwon's best efforts, the Korea Republic outfit could not break down Machida's defence as the Japanese side extended their dream run to the quarter-finals.

Quarter-final
Two-time champions Al Ittihad Club were their next opponents, with the Saudi Arabian side enjoying home ground advantage.

Machida, however, were far from overawed as another 1-0 win - with Tete Yengi their goalscoring hero - taking them through.

Semi-final
UAE's Shabab Al Ahli stood between Machida and a place in the final and the Japanese side showed they were up for the fight.

It took them 12 minutes to open the scoring, with Yuki Soma taking advantage of Bogdan Planic’s underhit backpass to intercept the ball and shift away from goalkeeper Hamad Almeqbali to slot home.

They then had to withstand tremendous pressure from Shabab Al Ahli but their defensive resolve - not for the first time this season - took them to within one match of creating history.