Osaka: Brazilian forward Lins scored with eight minutes remaining as former winners Gamba Osaka qualified for the last 16 of the AFC Champions League as Group F winners after coming from behind to edge out Korea Republic’s Seongnam FC 2-1 on Wednesday.
Kenta Hasegawa’s side went into the game against the Koreans, who had already guaranteed their passage into the knockout stage, knowing that they needed to match or better Buriram United’s result against Guangzhou R&F to join their visitors in the knockout stages.
And despite beginning on the front foot, Gamba suffered an early setback as Hwang Ui-jo scored his third goal of the continental competition to put two-time Asian champions Seongnam in front on 15 minutes.
But following increased urgency in the second half, the 2008 winners restored parity on the 64th minute through birthday boy Takashi Usami.
The Japanese treble-winners were spurred on by the equaliser and eventually their attacking urgency provided the goal their home supporters craved as Lins netted to send Gamba through to the Round of 16 at the top of the table after Buriram recorded a 5-0 win over Guangzhou.
Playing on his 23rd birthday, Usami was a constant threat throughout and showed his menace as early as the fifth minute as he tricked his way past Kim Cheol-ho and Kwak Hae-song on the left-hand side of the penalty area but dragged his shot across Seongnam goalkeeper Park Jun-huk and wide.
But despite the hosts’ early pressure, it was Seongnam who took the lead with their first shot of the contest on the quarter hour mark as Hwang received the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the penalty area, worked enough space to turn, and let fly with a powerful strike that rocketed past Gamba goalkeeper Masaaki Higashiguchi into the top right hand corner.
Having also tallied two goals so far, Gamba’s Brazilian forward Patric had a golden chance to draw the scores level shortly after the re-start as he collected the ball from Usami before driving past Kim Tae-youn only to have his charge brought to an abrupt halt by the alert Park.
With Gamba struggling to find the cutting edge to break down the K-League Classic side’s rear guard, Hasegawa brought on Patric’s compatriot Lins to add further incision to his attack.
And the J.League side showed greater urgency following the change as just after the hour mark Hiroyuki Abe, arriving late at the far post, should have added to his tally of three AFC Champions League goals from Daiki Niwa’s right-wing cross.
But from Gamba’s very next attack they found an equaliser as Usami curled in a cross from the left flank that was intended for Patric but evaded both the South American and Park to creep in at the far post.
As the match headed towards its final quarter hour, the action became end-to-end as Usami had a long-range effort saved by Park before Jorginho headed over for Seongnam from Park Tae-min’s cross.
With several forwards on the field in the remaining 10 minutes, Gamba were desperate to find the crucial winner and a set-piece proved their salvation as a corner taken short to captain Yasuhito Endo saw the ball sent in deep to the backpost where Keisuke Iwashita headed back across goal for Lins to bundle home a scrappy but vital winner.
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