Japan defender Koki Machida scored the winner as Royale Union Saint-Gilloise beat Royal Antwerp 1-0 in the Belgian Cup final on Thursday.
Royale Union Saint-Gilloise's Koki Machida (L) reacts after scoring in the first half of the Belgian Cup football final against Antwerp in Brussels, Belgium, on May 9, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Koki Machida (facing camera) of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise is congratulated by teammates after scoring in the first half of a football match against Antwerp in the Belgian Cup final match in Brussels, Belgium on May 9, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The 26-year-old slotted in a flicked corner from a meter out in the first-half stoppage time in Brussels, helping his team secure the title for the first time in 110 years and for the third time overall.
The former Kashima Antlers center-back won his first title in Europe after joining the Belgian club in January 2022.
Koki Machida (front row, R) celebrates with his Royale Union Saint-Gilloise teammates after winning the football Belgian Cup final against Antwerp in Brussels, Belgium on May 9, 2024. (Kyodo)
Related coverage:
Football: Hidemasa Morita's Sporting win Portuguese league as Benfica fall
Football: Takumi Minamino helps lead Monaco to 4-1 win against Clermont
Football: Japan edge Uzbekistan 1-0 to lift U-23 Asian Cup
