Gamba Cruise Past Adelaide Wallies to Claim ACL Title

Gamba Osaka duly eased past the hopelessly outclassed wallies of Adelaide United to win the Asian Champions League title 5-0 on aggregate. This earns them a berth in the World Club Championship in December. It will be interesting to see how they do against decent foreign opposition. As losing finalists the Aussies also earn a chance to embarrass themselves again.

Gamba wrapped up the title after only four minutes, when Lucas pounced on a loose ball after a fierce Sasaki shot was parried by the Aussie's keeper. They then extended their lead 10 minutes later when Lucus was put through one-on-one against the keeper, and calmly clipped the ball past the on-rushing youngster.

Once they had two away goals, in addition to the three from the home leg, Osaka eased off but still continued to dominate the game. Despite never needing to move out of second gear, Gamba outshot their opponents 10-2 in the first half and 18-13 overall. Adelaide did not try to play until a brief spell at the beginning of the second half, when they at last showed some gumption and at least made the Gamba defenders do some work, rather than simply fouling them. Cristiano in particular was lucky to stay on the pitch after two deliberate elbows into the face of a defender.

You can also see other reports on the game:
Gomiuri: Quick-striking Lucas leads way to ACL title
Japan Times: Gamba takes Asian crown