The week in Asian football
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Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al Nassr v Al Khaleej - Al Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - November 23, 2025 Al Khaleej's Bart Schenkeveld in action with Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Talking points from the week in Asian football:
MACHIDA DOWN KOBE TO WIN THEIR FIRST EMPEROR'S CUP
Machida Zelvia beat Vissel Kobe 3-1 at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday to win the Emperor's Cup for the first time.
Shuto Fujio's close-range header gave Machida the lead in the sixth minute and Yuki Soma doubled their advantage 26 minutes later when he latched onto Mitch Duke's through ball to slot home.
Fujio scored Machida's third from distance 11 minutes into the second half, with Taisei Miyashiro's 62nd minute header only a consolation for Kobe.
AL-NASSR MAINTAIN PERFECT START WITH WIN OVER AL-KHALEEJ
Joao Felix, Wesley, Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo were all on target as Al-Nassr continued their perfect start to the Saudi Pro League season with a 4-1 win over Al-Khaleej on Sunday.
It was the ninth straight league win for Jorge Jesus' side, who lead Al-Hilal by four points following their 2-1 win over Al-Fateh.
Felix put his side in front in the 39th minute and Wesley doubled the lead three minutes later, only for Murad Hawsawi to pull one back two minutes into the second half. Mane and Ronaldo scored in the 77th and 96th minutes to seal the win.
LOLLEY DOUBLE DOWNS VICTORY AS SYDNEY MOVE INTO FIRST PLACE
Sydney climbed above Auckland to take top spot in the A-League with a 3-0 home win over Melbourne Victory on Saturday.
Englishman Joe Lolley scored twice in the second half while Alex Grant netted the third for Sydney, who moved a point clear of Auckland after their 1-1 draw with Brisbane Roar.
SUWON STILL FIGHTING TO AVOID RELEGATION PLAYOFFS
Suwon FC secured a 1-0 over Anyang on Saturday to maintain their hopes of avoiding the relegation playoffs in South Korea.
A 20th minute goal by Lee Jae-won kept Suwon within two points of last season's champions Ulsan HD, who sit just outside the relegation playoff zone, with one round remaining.
Ulsan lost 2-0 to Gwangju.
Daegu have already been relegated with either Suwon or Ulsan to join Jeju in the playoffs. REUTERS
