Machida Zelvia beats Shabab Al-Ahli 1-0 to reach Asian Champions League final

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Japan’s 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 defending champion Al-Ahli Saudi 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, Al-Ahli Saudi beat Vissel Kobe 2-1 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.

All knockout-stage matches this month have been played in Jeddah after Western Zone 2026 playoffs were postponed in March because of the war in the Middle East.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer