Talented South American players steal limelight at Guangzhou Evergrande
Fourteen goals in the last four games have ensured the names of Guangzhou Evergrande's South American conquistadors have been on the lips of fans across Asia.
The facts speak for themselves: Muriqui is the tournament's leading scorer with a remarkable 13 goals in 12 games, Conca has eight, while Elkeson, who has only been available since the start of the quarter-finals, has scored four.
Their prowess and the flair they bring to Marcello Lippi's side has struck awe into the hearts of many across the continent while relegating - for some - the role played by the club's Chinese players.
Once again, the statistics tell an interesting story. No Chinese player has found his way onto the score sheet since Gao Lin netted in the second leg of the round of 16 win over Australia's Central Coast Mariners in May, but captain Zheng Zhi refuses to see it as an issue. "There have been many comments about this, but within our team we haven't even thought about this," said Zheng of the greater level of attention on the club's foreign contingent.
"No matter who scores, winning the game is more important and every one of us has a different role on the pitch. Because the South American players are mostly strikers they have more chances to score.
"The Chinese players do not think this is unfair as we are all part of the team and we play for the team. It doesn't matter who scores, the ultimate goal is to win each game."
While the South Americans have taken the headlines, the defence is dominated by home-grown players.
And, while the goals have flowed at one end, they have been denied at the other.
Guangzhou have conceded eight goals throughout the 12 games they have played in the competition, one fewer than FC Seoul and with a defence that is three-quarters Chinese, featuring Zhang Linpeng, Feng Xiaoting and Sun Xiang.
Since Lippi's arrival in May 2012, Guangzhou have become an efficient winning machine and stand on the cusp of realising an ambition many felt would take longer than four years to achieve.
"For the club, it is pay back for the investment and effort we have made," said Zhang of the team's run to the final. "We've invested a lot of money and effort in every aspect so we want to win."
