Defending champions Toulouse advanced to the Champions Cup semi-finals with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Munster.

Ben Healy (twice) and Conor Murray missed as Toulouse's kickers held their nerve to win the shootout 4-2.

They will meet either Leinster or Leicester in the last four.

Both sides had chances to win the game deep into extra time but Thomas Ramos and Healy pulled their drop-goals wide as 40,000 spectators inside Dublin's Aviva Stadium were treated to a contest that will live long in the memory.

Munster will rue the fact that they let slip a 10-point lead with 13 minutes of the original 80 to go, while five-time champions Toulouse once again were forced to find a late score to turn the game in their favour - just as they did in the last round against Ulster.

With both sides having scored three tries the shootout was the only way to settle the contest as each team nominated three kickers to take two shots at goal.

Toulouse trio Antoine Dupont, Romaine Ntamack and Ramos made their first four shots while only Murray with his first attempt and Joey Carbery could convert for Munster.

Classic plays out at Aviva Stadium

With musician Ed Sheeran holding two concerts at Thomond Park the tie was moved out of Munster to the Aviva, where fears of a diluted home advantage did not materialise as the teams came out to a raucous sea of red in south Dublin.

The Irish province rose to the occasion in typical fashion in frantic opening exchanges, with Peter O'Mahony winning a trademark penalty over the ball five metres from his own line as Toulouse exerted early pressure.

Five minutes later the volume inside the stadium rose to another level as Alex Kendellen rode a challenge and put his head down to surge over the line with the help of Jack O'Donoghue.

The Toulouse response was instant, with Pierre Fouyssac striding clear through the middle of the field before play was quickly shifted to Ntamack.

He initially spilled the ball, but the fly-half was able to recover with the help of a fortuitous bounce to score.

With both outfits fiercely competitive at the ruck, Toulouse began to take charge through dominance in the scrum.

Having won a penalty on a Munster put-in, the next scrum set up a perfectly executed strike play which saw the ball moved quickly wide where Matthis Lebel was waiting to finish.

After a quick start Munster's momentum had been stifled and when Carbery sent a relatively straightforward penalty wide they were in danger of taking the edge off the stadium's lively atmosphere.

However, a second wind late in the half saw them go into the break level as some big forward carries created the opportunity for Carbery to float a long pass out to Earls to go over for the hosts' second.

Alongside O'Mahony and Kendellen in the back row O'Donoghue delivered another display to further his case for a place in the Ireland squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour.

It was the number eight who led a monstrous counter-ruck which offered Carbery the opportunity of another three points but again the fly-half was uncharacteristically wayward.

Munster's bright start to the second half was rewarded shortly after though, as Chris Farrell spotted a mismatch to break through Toulouse's defence and feed Mike Haley, who cut inside to finish.

The hosts were also finding more joy at the scrum with the introduction of John Ryan helping them fight back at the set-piece.

In their attempts to respond Toulouse only found themselves in a deeper hole as Rory Arnold was sent to the sin-bin for a tip tackle on Simon Zebo that was only not met with a red because the Munster back landed on his upper back as opposed to his head.

Carbery's penalty pushed the hosts' lead to 10 before Toulouse, restored to their full complement, found the spark they needed through Lebel who raced onto Peato Mauvaka's audacious offload before stepping Zebo and racing home.

Five minutes from time the Toulouse pack snaffled a scrum penalty inside the Munster 22 allowing Ramos to level with the boot and send an absorbing contest into 20 minutes of extra time and, ultimately, a rarely seen penalty shootout.

Munster: Haley; Earls, Farrell, De Allende, Zebo; Carbery, Murray; J Wycherley, Scannell, Archer, Kleyn, F Wycherley, O'Mahony, Kendellen, O'Donoghue.

Replacements: Barron, Loughman, Ryan, Jenkins, Aherne, Casey, Healy, Daly.

Toulouse: Ramos; Delibes, Fouyssac, Ahki, Lebel; Ntamack, Dupont; Neti, Marchand, Aldegheri, Arnold, Meafou, Elstadt, Flament, Cros.

Replacements: Mauvaka, Baille, Ainu'u, Tekori, Tolofua, Jelonch, Germain, Medard.