A double from Brazilian striker Lucas inside the opening twenty minutes gave Akira Nishino’s stylish outfit cup glory at a packed-out Hindmarsh Stadium.
First Half
It took Gamba only four minutes to effectively end Adelaide’s hopes of lifting Asian club football’s most prized trophy, doing so in a matter perhaps more befitting an archetypal league encounter than a continental cup final.
However, the nature of the goal highlighted the gulf in class between the two clubs that was apparent across 90 minutes in Japan a week ago.
Midfielder Hayato Sasaki was at the heart of the move, twisting and turning just outside the penalty area with the surrounding Adelaide players simply unable to shackle the 25 year-old.
His eventual shot was parried by 17 year-old Mark Birighitti into the path of the mobile Lucas, who tapped the ball into an empty net.
The sharp movement of the striker was a stark contrast to the lethargy of those defenders around him, both in the lead-up and reaction to a goal that silenced an initially vocal sell-out crowd at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Immediately appearing unable to break down their cultured J-League opponents, Adelaide’s first attempt on goal arrived courtesy of a half-turn by Cristiano outside the box, after which the Brazilian striker’s tame effort was saved comfortably by Fujigaya.
It was only a minute later however that Gamba tore apart the home side’s defence with the simplest of moves.
A complete absence of man-marking from Adelaide was a stark contrast to the apparent impenetrability of the Japanese side’s defense, as Takahiro Futagawa found himself unchallenged inside the Adelaide half.
The Gamba veteran then produced a perfectly-weighted through ball for Brazilian striker Lucas, who spun away from Michael Valkanis with ease before producing a wonderfully delicate finish past Birighitti to make it 5-0 on aggregate.
Cristiano’s disallowed goal on 26 minutes epitomized what was has been a frustrating and fruitless final for Adelaide United, with the Brazilian striker rightly flagged for offside after heading home Jamieson’s cross from close range.
Their defensive frailty was similarly reflected only two minutes later, as Robert Cornthwaite decided to let a cross into the area run free, only to see it arrived to Futagawa at the back-post.
His cushioned header set-up the influential Sasaki, who could only direct his half-volley at Birighitti.
Gamba’s first-leg star Michihiro Yasuda then embarrassed Robert Cornthwaite when he turned the towering full-back on the by-line, before playing the ball back to Hideo Hashimoto, whose close range effort was blocked by the ‘keeper.
Second Half
An improved start to the second-half by Adelaide saw them denied what appeared to be two penalties when Kristian Sarkies and then Cristiano were brought down in the area, with the crowd galvanized by the flurry of attacking pressure from the home side.
Even with a new-found momentum and sense of purpose, Aurelio Vidmar’s men still struggled to break down their opponents, with their first half-chance arriving through a misdirected Diego snap-shot on 62’ minutes.
The fact that it was virtually Adelaide’s last opportunity of the match is an indication of the quality of performance of the Japanese outfit, who comfortably held on to the lead secure their first ever Asian Champions League trophy – just reward for the style of football cultivated by manager Akira Nishino, whose players were quick to hoist up their leader in celebration after the final whistle.
Adelaide 0
Gamba Osaka 2 (Lucas 5', 15')
(Gamba win 5-0 on aggregate)
by: Chris Paraskevas
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