Yesterday was a historic day for Asian soccer. While Johor dreamed of eliminating the defending champion, Al Ahli Saudi, it is Machida Zelvia that remains in its fairy tale. A club that just a decade ago was playing in J.League 3, the third tier of Japanese soccer, advanced to the semifinals of the AFC Champions League Elite yesterday by defeating the multi-millionaire Al Ittihad.
Al Ahli wins with 10 men
Al-Ahli Saudi FC showed true champion’s mettle by advancing to the semifinals of the AFC Champions League Elite after defeating Johor Darul Ta’zim 2-1 in Jeddah. The match was marked by Ali Majrashi’s ejection in the 37th minute for a hard blow to the head of an opponent during a routine midfield play, but the home team remained composed.
Johor took the lead in the 19th minute with an own goal by Majrashi himself, under pressure from Marcos Guilherme. However, just before halftime, Franck Kessié headed in a corner kick from Riyad Mahrez to equalize. In the second half, down a man, Galeno sealed the 2-1 victory with a powerful shot after beating a defender.
With this result, Al-Ahli remains the only Saudi representative in the final phase and prevents the Saudi Pro League from being left without any teams in the semifinals following Al-Ittihad’s elimination. Coach Matthias Jaissle praised his team’s resilience in turning the score around while down a man.
Machida Zelvia and his fairy tale
In one of the biggest upsets of the 2025/26 AFC Champions League Elite, Machida Zelvia became the second Japanese team to reach the semifinals of the AFC Champions League Elite.
The J1 League side, which was playing in Japan’s third division just eleven years ago, defeated Al-Ittihad 1-0 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium.
The goal came in the 31st minute following a corner kick: a shot by Hiroyuki Mae was deflected, and Tete Yengi, from the edge of the box, sent a low drive that Fabinho deflected into the back of the net.
In the second half, Al-Ittihad, featuring stars like Fabinho, Moussa Diaby, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Houssem Aouar,dominated and created clear chances, but a goal by Danilo in the 86th minute was ruled out for a handball following a VAR review. Machida held firm and secured the victory.
With this win, Machida Zelvia, which had already eliminated Gangwon FC in the round of 16, will face Al-Shabab Al-Ahli in the semifinals. Captain Gen Shoji, the 2018 Asian champion with Kashima Antlers, has been instrumental in the success of this up-and-coming Japanese team.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Cover image and separators made with Gemini AI.