Khaberni - Machida Zelvia from Japan has qualified for the final of the Elite Asian Champions League in football, winning 1-0 against Al-Ahli Dubai on Tuesday, after the referee canceled the equalizing goal scored by the Emirati team in added time.
Machida Zelvia, participating in the tournament for the first time and having previously eliminated the Saudi Al-Ittihad in the quarterfinals, has set a date with the defending champion Al-Ahli Saudi in the final match to be held on April 25 in Jeddah, which will host the final rounds of the tournament in a cluster format.
Guilherme Bala thought he had equalized for Al-Ahli Dubai in the first minute of added time in the second half after firing a strong shot from outside the penalty box into the net, but the referee canceled the goal on the grounds of playing the throw-in that preceded the goal before the substitution of one of the Japanese team players had been completed.
The sole goal of the match came after 12 minutes from the start, when Yuki Soma capitalized on a mistake by Al-Ahli Dubai defender Bogdan Planic in passing the ball to goalkeeper Hamad Al-Maqbali, swooping in to score from close range.
Bala successfully struck Machida's net in the 64th minute, heading the ball into the goal from close range, but the goal was canceled on the grounds of offside.
The pressure from Al-Ahli Dubai continued until Bala scored again in added time, before the goal was annulled, amidst significant anger from Al-Ahli Dubai players who surrounded the referee after the final whistle, with efforts from the substitute players to calm them down.
