Adelaide Salvage Pride in Third Loss to Gamba

Australia's Adelaide United finally put in a performance that showed how they could justify being runners-up in this year's ACL final. At the third attempt, they managed to give Gamba Osaka a decent game. Despite being outclassed for much of the game, the Aussies managed to create several chances, and can count themselves unlucky not to have taken the game into extra time. Of course, Gamba should have wrapped the game up in the first half, but some wasteful finishing (by both teams) meant that the game ended in a narrow 1-0 win for the Japanese team.

Gamba will need to raise their game considerably, if they are to match Urawa's feat of finishing third last year, let alone overcoming Champions League winners Man United. The game between Pachuca and Al Ahly saw both teams playing much better than either of the antipodes teams.

However, the victory came at a heavy price for Gamba. Both Sasaki and Futagawa went off with injuries, that look likely to keep them out for (at
least) the next game. Neither injury was caused by clashing with a burly Aussie, but after when a shot (Sasaki) and a cross (Futagawa). It looks as though both may have been carrying injuries and managed to aggravate them. We should know more tomorrow. Both are having scans today (Dec 15).