Japan's smallest club creates seismic impact, advances to Asian Champions League final

Machida Zelvia (Japan) earns qualification to play in the AFC Champions League Elite final right in their inaugural appearance.

The debutant club Machida Zelvia clinched a place in the AFC Champions League Elite final following a contentious 1-0 victory over UAE's Shabab Al Ahli in Jeddah. The Japanese representative had never competed in the continent's top-tier club competition until this season.

Notably, Shabab Al Ahli was denied an equalizing goal in stoppage time when Guilherme Bala's brilliant solo run and shot was disallowed by the referee because the UAE team had restarted the match before Machida completed a substitution.

Machida will face reigning champion Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia in the final at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. They are striving to become the ninth continental champion from Japan. Participating in this prestigious match marks another notable milestone in the career of coach Go Kuroda, who spent 28 years coaching a high school soccer team before being entrusted to lead Machida in 2023.

In his first season, Kuroda guided the club to promotion from the J2 League, then finished third in J-League 1 to secure AFC Champions League qualification. Conversely, Shabab Al Ahli is led by former Portuguese international Paulo Sousa, who won the UEFA Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997.

Machida had a perfect start when in the 12th minute, Soma capitalized on a mistake by Serbian defender Bogdan Planic to bypass Shabab Al Ahli goalkeeper Hamad Al Meqbaali and score. The 2015 runner-up, Shabab Al Ahli, sought an equalizer against Machida late in the first half, with Brazilian defender Kauan Santos unleashing a superb shot from the edge of the box that struck the crossbar.

Five minutes before the first half ended, Machida was awarded a penalty when Shabab Al Ahli captain Federico Cartabia was adjudged to have fouled Soma inside the box. However, this decision was overturned by VAR.

Just after the 60th minute, Bala scored an initial equalizer but it was disallowed by the referee for an offside violation. Minutes later, Shabab Al Ahli substitute Mohammed Juma inexplicably missed a shot from just four meters away. The match ended controversially, with Sousa leaving the pitch before stoppage time concluded, while Al Meqbaali was sent off for protesting the referee after the final whistle.

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