The week in Asian football

March 23 - Talking points from the week in Asian football:

GIBSON HITS LATE WINNER TO TAKE NEWCASTLE FOUR CLEAR

Newcastle Jets strengthened their grip on top spot in the A-League with a 2-1 win over Sydney FC that extended their lead to four points with four matches of the regular season remaining.

Ben Gibson scored in the 93rd minute to earn victory for the Jets, who extended their advantage after second-placed Auckland FC lost 2-1 to Macarthur FC.

Melbourne Victory moved up to third with a 4-1 win over Central Coast Mariners.

ABDUWELI'S LATE EQUALISER KEEPS CHENGDU ON TOP IN CHINA

Behram Abduweli scored four minutes into added time to earn Chengdu Rongcheng a 3-3 draw with Chongqing Tonglianglong and maintain their position at the top of the Chinese Super League.

Chengdu lead by a point from Yunnan Yukun, who thrashed Shandong Taishan 4-0. Defending champions Shanghai Port lost for the second time in three matches, slipping to a 1-0 defeat against Dalian Yingbo.

KLIMALA'S DOUBLE KEEPS FC SEOUL PERFECT IN SOUTH KOREA

Halftime substitute Patryk Klimala scored twice as FC Seoul defeated Gwangju FC 5-0 to continue their perfect start to the K League season.

The win was Seoul's fourth of the season and moves them two points clear of Ulsan HD, who were held 0-0 by Gimcheon Sangmu.

Defending champions Jeonbuk Motors are third, a further two points behind, following their 1-0 win over Daejeon Citizen.

KASHIMA OPEN UP SIX-POINT LEAD IN 100 YEAR VISION TOURNAMENT

Kashima Antlers extended their lead in the eastern conference of the J.League's 100 Year Vision tournament to six points with a 2-1 win over JEF United Chiba on Sunday.

Second-placed FC Tokyo lost in a shootout to Tokyo Verdy while Machida Zelvia moved up to third with a 2-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds.

Kyoto Sanga lead the western conference after defeating Nagoya Grampus in a shootout.

AL-HILAL DEFEAT AL-AHLI TO ADVANCE TO KING'S CUP FINAL

Al-Hilal will face Al-Kholood in the King's Cup final after Simone Inzaghi's side defeated Al-Ahli 4-2 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in the semi-finals.

Theo Hernandez had given Al-Hilal a 39th minute lead but Ivan Toney levelled from the penalty spot with nine minutes remaining. Hernandez hit the winning kick in the shootout.

Al-Kholood beat Al-Ittihad 5-4 in a shootout after their semi-final ended 2-2. REUTERS