Gamba Fall to Teda in Violence Littered Battle of Tianjin

This game took place in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Japan the previous Friday. Although the home club sent a message of sympathy to Gamba, their rabid fans showed no such compassion and the game saw them throw several objects onto the field during the course of the game. Of course, the wimps at the AFC will take no action to stamp out this violence.

Tianjin came out looking much the shaper and better motivated of the two teams, and Fijigaya was forced to make an early save. Apart from wayward effort by Adriano, the opening few minutes were one-way traffic towards the Gamba goal. The home team had already seen one goal riled offside for offside, when they took the lead in the 25th minute, Chen Tao firing home a right foot shot. Lee pulled Gamba level a few minutes later, but the home team continued to look the more likely to add to their score. However, they failed to convert their possession into goals and the half ended with the scores still 1-1.

Gamba fell behind, when late first half sub Takagi was carded for a 'foul' in the area. Defender Cao Yang converted the penalty to give the home team the lead. Gamba made a immediate effort to get back into the game, but could not implement their passing game effectively enough to really trouble the home defence. Adriano, Lee and Futagawa all had chances to pull the Blues level, Cheered on by the feverish home crowd, Teda regained the initiative and closed out the game to secure the three points and go top of the group.