Machida Zelvia, a Japanese suburban club, aim for a stunning Asian Champions League crown in Saturday’s final against Al Ahli in Jeddah.
JAPANESE underdogs Machida Zelvia have vowed to maintain their composure as they stand one victory away from a fairytale Asian Champions League title.
The unheralded team from Tokyo’s suburbs will face defending champions Al Ahli at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Saturday.
They reached the final with a narrow 1-0 win over UAE side Shabab Al Ahli in Tuesday’s semi-final.
Yuki Soma’s 12th-minute goal proved decisive in that match, securing a third consecutive 1-0 knockout victory for Machida.
Their remarkable run is built on a famously stingy defence, a principle deeply ingrained by coach Go Kuroda.
“The players stayed focused till the end and that was great,” Kuroda said according to the Asian Football Confederation.
“To keep a clean sheet is our motto and we managed to achieve that, so it gives us confidence.”
Kuroda, a former high-school coach, has masterminded the club’s unlikely rise to Asian football’s biggest stage.
He warned his team must remain calm against the home crowd in Saudi Arabia for the final.
“The atmosphere will be immense, so we have to keep our composure,” he added.
Machida’s journey is extraordinary for a club playing its debut Asian campaign just two years after its first J.League top-flight season.
Shabab Al Ahli were denied a dramatic injury-time equaliser in the semi-final due to a procedural error.
Their coach Paulo Sousa left the pitch in disgust before the match concluded, lamenting his side’s misfortune.
“We deserved to be in the final but we are not,” said the former Portugal international.
Al Ahli advanced by beating Japan’s Vissel Kobe 2-1, with Ivan Toney scoring the winner.
The final continues Jeddah’s hosting of the centralised finals for the rebranded Asian Champions League Elite.
