Pohang Steelers overcame their nerves to see off Atlante and claim a third-placed finish at the FIFA Club World Cup.
With the scores level at 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes, a shoot-out was needed to separate the sides in Abu Dhabi.
And although Park Hee Chul missed his spot-kick for Pohang, Horacio Peralta and Rafael Marquez were unsuccessful with their attempts to hand the South Koreans the win.
Earlier in the match, Marquez managed to pull Atlante back into contention after Denilson had given Pohang a first-half lead.
The South Korean side looked strong in the early stages and Atlante goalkeeper Federico Vilar made early saves from Kazunari Okayama and Shin Hyung Min.
A spell of pressure from Atlante then followed in which Gabriel Pereyra hit the crossbar and the post for the unfortunate Mexicans.
Christian Gutierrez also brought the best out of Pohang keeper Song Dong Jin with a fierce strike which was tipped over the woodwork.
The South Koreans weathered the storm well and took the lead three minutes before the interval from the boot of Denilson, who swept home from 10 yards out.
Atlante's response was swift and Marquez ensured they were back on level terms within a minute of the restart.
Pereyra then directed another header onto the post as the clock ticked down before Vilar turned away a shot from Denilson to signal the need for a penalty shoot-out.
Park was the first to miss with his spot-kick, but Peralta struck the post with his effort before Song made the telling save to keep out Marquez and claim the win for Pohang.
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