Gamba on top in Asia: Quick-striking Lucas leads way to ACL title
Written by Writer on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008
Gamba on top in Asia: Quick-striking Lucas leads way to ACL title
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Gamba Osaka are a win away from a dream matchup against Manchester United.
Gamba succeeded the continental throne from J.League rival Urawa Reds as Akira Nishino’s side outclassed Adelaide United 2-0 in the second leg of the Asian Champions League final on Wednesday night.
Lucas struck twice before the quarter-hour to dampen a sellout crowd of 17,000 at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, and Gamba held on the rest of the way for a 5-0 aggregate victory, which qualified them for next month’s FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
Gamba, who were making their second appearance in the ACL after flaming out in the first round in 2006, became just the third J.League team to win the Asian club title after Jubilo Iwata won it in 1999 and Reds last year.
Due to tournament regulations, Adelaide will have a chance to get back at Gamba on Dec. 14 in the Club World Cup at Toyota Stadium. With Gamba having won the Champions League, the host nation bracket reserved for the J.League champions goes to the losers of the ACL final.
The winner of Gamba-Adelaide meets European champion Manchester United in the Club World Cup semifinal at Yokohama on Dec. 18.
Gamba’s comprehensive win on Wednesday was their sixth on the road this tournament, becoming the first club in Champions League history to capture every away game en route to the title.
Nishino’s men, who are virtually out of the J.League championship race, went into the match at a huge advantage, after beating the Australian side 3-0 at Banpaku Stadium one week ago.
“I’m extremely happy,” Nishino said after the match. “Our plan was to put the result beyond doubt in the first half. The players performed as we planned.”
At the very least, Adelaide, coached by former Sanfrecce Hiroshima player Aurelio Vidmar, needed to win by three without conceding to have any chance at the title.
At the site where Japan was eliminated on penalties by the United States in the 2000 Sydney Olympic quarterfinals, the Adelaide fans tried to rally their team on harboring the hopes of a miracle.
But for a miracle, they’ll just have to wait until Christmas. Lucas netted the first of his two goals after just four minutes, scrapping home the rebound of a stinging shot from outside the box by the fleet-footed Hayato Sasaki.
Lucas made it a seemingly insurmountable 2-0 just 10 minutes later, racing onto a knifing through ball from Takahito Futagawa and deflecting a shot off 17-year-old goalkeeper Mark Birighitti into the net.
The two-goal difference meant Adelaide had to score six before the final whistle, and that, was not likely.
As it was in the first leg, Gamba were simply too much for Adelaide, particularly in midfield where Japan international Yasuhito Endo sprayed the ball around at will.
Endo received the ACL’s MVP award.
The 75 minutes after Lucas’ second was virtually a countdown toward Gamba’s first continental championship as Adelaide, missing the creative stroke, never truly threatened the visitors.
ADELAIDE: Birighitti, Valkanis, Cassio, Jamieson, Cornthwaite, Ognenovski, Sarkies, Dodd, Diego, Reid, Cristiano
GAMBA: Fujigaya, Kaji, Nakazawa Yamaguchi, Yasuda, Hashimoto, Myojin, Endo, Futagawa, Sasaki, Lucas
(Nov. 13, 2008)
