Gamba Osaka won AFC Champions League with a flourish defeating A-League's Adelaide United 2-0 at Hindmarsh Stadium. A capacity crowd, dressed in red to support their home team's efforts were quickly silenced as Gamba displayed a fervor to score immediately. Blue Samurai Yasuhito Endō led Gamba as a whirlwind in the midfield and at the fourth minute Hayato Sasaki stuck a powerful drive that Adelaide's 17-year-old 'keeper Mark Birighitti's parry fell to a well-placed Lucas. Without delay the ex FC Tokyo man dispatched the ball into the net to the dismay of the shocked home crowd. The match was extremely open with Gamba winning in the midfield with super-charged play. It was clear they knew the trophy was their's and they searched to close the match off. At the fifteenth minute Gamba etched their name on the trophy as Takahiro Futagawa rolled a perfectly weighted through-ball to Lucas on the left who delicately flicked the ball above the onrushing Adelaide 'keeper. With the score now 2-0 and Gamba leading in aggregate 5-0 there was no doubts. While Adelaide fought notably on for a least a consolation goal for their loyal fans, with skipper Travis Dodd coming close, Gamba would not relent and the match ended 2-0. The great victory now leads Gamba into the World Club Cup.
Gamba Osaka:
22.Yoskuke FUJIGAYA, 2.Sota NAKAZAWA, 5.Satoshi YAMAGUCHI (Captain), 7.Yasuhito ENDO, 9.LUCAS, 10.Takahiro FUTAGAWA, 13.Michihiro YASUDA (19.Takumi SHIMOHIRA 65’), 16.Hayato SASAKI (30.Masato YAMAZAKI 58’), 17.Tomokazu MYOJIN (11.Ryugi BANDO 81’), 21.Kaji AKIRA, 27.Hashimoto HIDEO
Adelaide United:
20.Mark BIRIGHITTI, 5.Michael VALKANIS, 6.CASSIO, 8.Kristian SARKIES (21.Jason SPAGNUOLO 59’), 10.CRISTIANO (25.Robert YOUNIS 68’), 13.Travis DODD (Captain), 14.Scott JAMIESON, 18.Robert CORNTHWAITE, 19.Sasa OGNENOVSKI, 22.DIEGO (7.Lucas PANTELIS 68’), 24.Paul REID.
