The week in Asian football
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Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Ahli v Al Ittihad - King Abdullah Sport City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - April 5, 2025 Al Ahli's Riyad Mahrez in action with Al Ittihad's Danilo Pereira REUTERS/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Talking points from the week in Asian football:
AUCKLAND MADE TO WAIT AFTER CITY FIGHT BACK TO DRAW
Auckland FC went a step closer to securing the A-League Premiership with a 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory but were made to wait at least another week after Melbourne City salvaged a 2-2 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers.
Auckland moved six points clear with two games remaining in the regular season after goals from Louis Verstraete and Guillermo May secured the win in Melbourne on Saturday.
City trailed 2-0 inside the opening 13 minutes but two goals from Kai Trewin secured the point which delayed Auckland's confirmation as regular-season champions.
AL-ITTIHAD's LEAD CUT TO FOUR IN SAUDI ARABIA
Al-Ittihad saw their lead in the Saudi Pro League cut to four points with six games left after a 2-0 defeat by Al-Fateh on Thursday, with Al-Hilal closing the gap on the table toppers thanks to a 3-0 win over Al-Khaleej.
Al-Nassr remain third despite losing 2-1 at Al-Qadsia, Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang hitting the winner for the hosts with three minutes remaining.
SHANGHAI SHENHUA INCREASE CSL ADVANTAGE TO THREE POINTS
Shanghai Shenhua extended their Chinese Super League lead to three points with a 2-0 win over Wuhan Three Towns on Saturday.
Chengdu Rongcheng's 3-1 win over defending champions Shanghai Port on Sunday moved them into second place, a point ahead of Shandong Taishan, who were thrashed 6-1 by Beijing Guoan.
KYOTO GO TOP IN JAPAN AFTER FUKUOKA LOSE TO SHIMIZU
Kyoto Sanga climbed into top spot in Japan after goals from Rafael Elias and Masaya Okugawa in the last 18 minutes earned them a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Albirex Niigata on Saturday.
Avispa Fukuoka dropped from first to fifth after losing 3-1 to Shimizu S-Pulse while Kashiwa Reysol moved up to second with a 1-0 win over Shonan Bellmare.
DAEJEON INCREASE K LEAGUE LEAD WITH WIN OVER GIMCHEON
Daejeon Citizen extended their lead in South Korea to four points with a 2-0 win over Gimcheon Sangmu in a battle between the top two on Saturday.
Kim Jun-beom put Daejeon in front in the 32nd minute and Joo Min-kyu doubled the lead from the penalty spot 10 minutes after the interval.
Gimcheon dropped to fourth as Gwangju FC went second with a 2-1 win over FC Seoul while Jeonbuk Motors' 3-1 win over Daegu FC took Gus Poyet's side third. REUTERS
