JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) 鈥� Japan鈥檚 Machida Zelvia advanced to the final of the Asian Champions League Elite by beating Shabab Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates 1-0 on Tuesday.
Yuki Soma’s first-half goal secured a meeting with on Saturday in Jeddah.
Soma struck in the 12th minute, pouncing on a weak back pass from defender Bogdan Planic to shoot past goalkeeper Hamad Al-Meqbaali.
Kauan Santos nearly equalized 10 minutes before halftime when he hit the crossbar with a powerful effort from outside the area.
In the 92nd minute, Guilherme Bala appeared to have forced extra time with a long-range strike, but the goal was disallowed after a lengthy VAR review because play restarted before Machida completed a substitution.
Machida is aiming to emulate the Western Sydney Wanderers’ performance in 2014 of winning the continental club title on debut.
On Monday, to reach its second straight final. The Jeddah-based club beat Kawasaki Frontale of Japan 2-0 in the 2025 final in May of last year in front of 60,000 home fans at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
this month have been played in Jeddah after Western Zone 2026 playoffs were in March because of the .
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