RIYADH: Just a couple of months ago, a cloud of uncertainty hung over football in the Middle East, raising questions as to whether Asian Football Confederation club competitions would be able to continue this season as the region became engulfed in conflict.
Despite the concerns, games went ahead and now the final of the 2025/26 AFC Champions League Elite is officially set: Machida Zelvia of Japan will take on Saudi side Al-Ahli at Al-Inma Stadium on April 25 to determine this season’s continental champions.
Zelvia secured their place with a 1-0 victory over Shabab Al-Ahli of the UAE at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal City Sports Stadium on Tuesday. It was their third-consecutive 1-0 win in the knockout stages, after edging past Gangwon FC of South Korea in the round of 16 and Saudi Side Al-Ittihad in the quarter-finals.
Yuki Soma struck what turned out to be the decisive blow for the Japanese side in the 12th minute after he pressed the Shabab Al-Ahli defense following a goal kick, forcing Bogdan Planic into an error and then slotting the ball past Hamad Al-Meqbaali.
Zelvia’s 5-2-3 formation once again provided the foundation for their success as they prevented the opposition’s front four from doing any serious damage in the final third despite racking up 17 shots.
The victory did not come without some controversy attached, however; Shabab Al-Ahli had not one but two goals disallowed late in the game.
The second, in particular, sparked debate. Guilherme Bala channeled his inner Galeno with a long-range strike to seemingly level the score in the second minute of stoppage time. However, the referee was summoned by the video assistant referee team to review the play. At first, confusion reigned among the players as there was no obvious issue during the build-up to the goal.
Eventually it became clear that the problem stemmed from the very start of the move, when Kauan Santos took a throw-in while a Zelvia substitution was still in progress. After a lengthy review that took nearly five minutes, referee Shaun Evans ruled the goal out.
Unsurprisingly, the decision did not go down well with the Shabab Al-Ahli players, who vigorously protested against the ruling and placed blame on the referee. Predictably, this failed to change his mind, play eventually resumed and, despite the Emirati side’s final push to grab a goal and move the game into extra time, the “Brazil of Tokyo” held on for a historic victory.
They can now look ahead to Saturday and a Champion’s League final in their debut season in the competition, the first team since Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014 to achieve such a feat.
They will face defending champions Al-Ahli, who defeated Japanese side Vissel Kobe 2-1 on Monday and are aiming to become the first side since Al-Ittihad in 2006 to win back-to-back titles.
