7 Underdog Stories from Asian Club Football

Machida Zelvia - Japan (2024 J.League 1 season)

The story that prompted the creation of this article. Machida Zelvia are undergoing their first-ever season in the J1 and they took the league by storm. Coached by Go Kuroda - whose only experience came in high school championships - and without any notable star names within their squad, Machida's direct and aggressive style of football propelled the side based in the suburbs of Tokyo to the summit of the J1 table this season, competing with the more established names in Vissel Kobe and Sanfrecce Hiroshima for the title.

A slump of form right at the business end of the season threatened to derail Machida's title charge, but a recovery of form when it mattered the most meant that the dreams of grasping the J1 title in a debut season to remember remain alive down to the last day of the season.

Gyeongnam FC - South Korea (2018 K League 1 season)

South Korea's K League 1 have provided us with a number of underdog stories - Gangwon FC finishing third in 2024, Gwangju FC finishing third in their first season back in the top-flight in 2023, or Incheon United claiming Asian qualification by finishing fourth in 2022. Or how about newly-promoted Gimcheon Sangmu finishing second in 2024? I don't think that would count as Gimcheon is a military club and their players are basically loaned in from other K League clubs, spending their military services at Gimcheon and returning to become key players at their respective parent clubs once their duty for the country is over.

Gyeongnam's 2nd placed finish in 2018 was phenomenal as not only did they finish above the perennial giants at that time that were Ulsan Hyundai, Pohang Steelers, Suwon Samsung Bluewings, and FC Seoul, but also the fact that they did it as a promoted club, having won the 2017 K League 2 the previous season. Gyeongnam did finish a distant 21 points behind champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and only two points above third placed Ulsan, but still as a newly-promoted club, finishing second in your first season back is no laughing matter.

Unfortunately Gyeongnam's superb campaign was built on the back of Marcao's incredible 26-goal haul and once the Brazilian left for the Chinese Super League the following season, Gyeongnam wilted. With former Inter Milan man Luc Castaignos unable to replicate Marcao's form, Gyeongnam were relegated back to the K League 2 only one season after their remarkable campaign, and they haven't came back to the K League 1 since.

Something tells me we're not seeing the last of Marcao in this list...

Wuhan Three Towns - China (2022 Chinese Super League season)

What was it with Marcao and Asian club football underdog stories?

The Brazilian striker joined Wuhan Three Towns from Hebei China Fortune in 2021 and helped his club win that season's China League One, before doing one better and helping Wuhan Three Towns win the Chinese Super League in their very first ever season the following year.

And as expected Marcao played a key role in that memorable 2022 campaign, finishing as not only Wuhan Three Town's top scorer but also the most prolific player of the league, with 27 goals to his name.

Granted, Chinese football in 2020 onwards is a real shitshow, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese property sector crisis, and the Chinese Football Association clamping down on big-name signings causing clubs to collapse left, right, and center. Wuhan Three Towns took advantage of the situation and scooped players from Guangzhou FC and Hebei FC, two clubs who were affected by the changes within the Chinese football landscape. The former saw themselves relegated in 2022, but as for the latter, they went bust the same year and ceased operations.

Marcao's 27-goal haul also did Wuhan Three Towns a massive favor as they finished the season level on points with 2nd placed Shandong Taishan, only winning the title by goal difference. Imagine what would've happened if we took away those 27 goals...

Unlike Gyeongnam, Wuhan Three Towns are still hanging around the Chinese Super League, though they've consigned themselves as being a solid mid-table side as the likes of Shandong, Shanghai Port, Shanghai Shenhua, Beijing Guoan and two other dark horses in Zhejiang FC and Chengdu Rongcheng managing to further improve themselves in following seasons.

Quang Nam FC - Vietnam (2017 V.League 1 season)

2017 saw two first-time champions in Southeast Asian football - Indonesia's Bhayangkara FC and Vietnam's Quang Nam FC. However, Bhayangkara didn't make the cut on the base of two things - a. they were basically gifted the title following a decision from the Football Federation of Indonesia (PSSI) to award Bhayangkara a 3-0 win over Mitra Kukar due to the latter fielding an ineligible player, and b. Bhayangkara's squad that season was literally stacked with the who's who in Indonesian football, meaning that their triumph was a matter of when, not if.

With that in mind, Quang Nam made the cut to be included in this list, though it was worth noting that it didn't came without controversy as Quang Nam was believed to be part of the Bau Hien empire, a collection of clubs underneath the supervision of Hanoi FC owner Do Quang Hien. However looking at Quang Nam's transfers during the season, no player ever came in or out of the club from any of the other clubs alleged to be part of the Bau Hien conspiracy.

Like Wuhan Three Towns five years after them, Quang Nam finished the season level on points with runners-up FLC Thanh Hoa, however Quang Nam's better head-to-head record over their rivals meant that it was them who were given the right to lift the 2017 V.League 1 title. Dinh Thanh Trung was Quang Nam's star man of that season, as his formidable presence in the midfield not only earned his team the title, but also earned him that year's Player of the Season title.

Interestingly, Bhayangkara also won the 2017 Liga 1 title thanks to their better head-to-head record over 2nd placed Bali United, and both Bhayangkara and Quang Nam were denied spots in next season's AFC tournaments due to a lack of the relevant licenses. Talk about a spooky coincidence.

Naft Al-Wasat - Iraq (2014/15 Iraqi Premier League)

Little was known from this underdog story - mostly because a lot of the relevant articles regarding their achievement was written in Arabic - but it was worth mentioning as Naft Al-Wasat won the 2014/15 Iraqi Premier League in their first-ever season in the top-flight, having earned their spot there as one of the group winners of the 2013/14 Iraqi First Division League.

Naft Al-Wasat's success was built upon their smart recruitments, which included Iraq national team goalkeeper Noor Sabri, as well as hitting form in the right possible time. They silently finished fourth in the first phase of the league, with wins over powerhouses Erbil and Al-Zawraa allowing Naft Al-Wasat to seal their spot in the top four of their group despite losing a third of their games. Naft Al-Wasat then shocked everyone by beating Al-Shorta - Iraq's most successful team and a perennial favorite for the title - not just once but twice during the second phase of the season, before edging out another Iraqi giant in Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya on penalties in the final to clinch their first-ever top-flight silverware.

Naft Al-Wasat remained consistent after their shock title win, never finishing outside the top 10 in subsequent seasons, however they declined dramatically in the 2022/23 season with an 18th place finish, before finally being relegated in 2023/24 after finishing dead last with only one win to their name all season.

Esteghlal Khuzestan - Iran (2015/16 Persian Gulf Pro League)

The 2015/16 season was best remembered for Leicester City's miracle Premier League win, however thousands of kilometers away in Iran, another miracle was unfolding.

The name Esteghlal was synonymous with glory within Iran, after all, they were one of the giants of Iranian football with four league titles to their name as well as being one half of the Tehran duopoly. But what if I tell you that the Esteghlal that won the 2015/16 Persian Gulf Pro League weren't the Tehran-based giant, but instead a small club based in the city of Ahvaz?

Forever in the shadows of their neighbors Foolad, Esteghlal Khuzestan barely avoided relegation in the 2014/15 season, beating second-tier side Mes Kerman to retain their spot in the top-flight. Therefore, the target for 2015/16 was obviously survival.

However, the combination of recruiting a good chunk of Foolad's reserve squad (who were denied promotion despite winning their second-tier group) and the tactical genius of Abdollah Veisi, Esteghlal Khuzestan blazed their way into the top of that season's Persian Gulf Pro League, and despite a few hiccups here and there, they managed to keep Tehran's finest in Persepolis and Esteghlal at bay, eventually clinching their first-ever league title thanks to 2-0 win over Zob Ahan. Esteghlal Khuzestan finished the season level on points with 2nd placed Persepolis, however Esteghlal Khuzestan's better goal difference ensured that Iran would have their very own Leicester City at the end of the 2015/16 campaign.

Sadly Esteghlal Khuzestan could not build upon their successes, as financial woes meant that they would slowly slip down the table in the succeeding seasons, being relegated into the second tier in 2018/19 after a dreadful season that saw them win only three times all season long and being deducted six points by FIFA due to unpaid wages.

Esteghlal Khuzestan had to stay in the second tier for three years before finally making it back to the top-flight in 2022/23, finishing second behind champions Shams Azar. Their first season back in the top-flight saw Esteghlal Khuzestan avoid relegation by a single point, however a much better financial state saw Esteghlal Khuzestan establishing themselves as a mid-table side 11 games into the 2024/25 season.

But if you think that Esteghlal Khuzestan's rise from relegation play-off winners to league champions was remarkable, wait until you see the story of...

Aizawl FC - India (2016/17 I-League season)

The ultimate underdog story in Asian club football. The club that should've been relegated the previous season. The club that ended up being champions against all odds.

Back when the I-League was still the top-flight of Indian football, the start of the 2016/17 season was thrown into disarray as three clubs from Goa - Sporting Goa, Salgaocar, and Dempo - decided to quit the Indian football system due to their objection towards plans regarding the Indian Super League being made as the country's new top-flight. As a result, Aizawl FC, who were supposed to be relegated at the end of the 2015/16 campaign, were reinstated into the league to fill in the void left by the Goan clubs, along with direct-entry sides Minerva Punjab and Chennai City as well as Churchill Brothers, the only Goa-based side who didn't walk out on the I-League.

Under the leadership of Khalid Jamil, a young, up-and-coming head coach, Aizawl shocked India and the world by clinching the 2016/17 I-League title, finishing above established giants in Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Bengaluru FC - three clubs that would later join the Indian Super League. Finishing a point above Mohun Bagan, Aizawl were the first club from India's Northeast region to win the league, compensating their modest attack by having the second meanest defense that conceded only 14 goals throughout the season - with only Mohun Bagan, who only conceded 12 goals, the better defense. However, Mohun Bagan's inability to convert any of their six draws to wins meant that Aizawl finished above them by a single point.

The triumph was made more remarkable as Aizawl's entire budget was equivalent to the amount of money being paid by Mohun Bagan to secure the services of Haitian attacker Sony Norde for that season - Rs 2 crore.

Nowadays Aizawl are still hanging around the I-League even after the league was now turned into the second-tier of Indian football, never challenging for any honors and briefly fighting off relegation in the succeeding seasons, winning at every moment.