Osaka: Gamba Osaka skipper Yasuhito Endo has set his sights firmly on achieving continental glory following the 2015 AFC Champions League quarter-finalists’ disappointing 3-0 loss to Argentina’s River Plate in Tuesday’s Suruga Bank Championship clash.
Gamba fell behind just eight minutes into the match that sees Japan’s Nabisco Cup winners take on the South American club champions when Uruguay international Carlos Sanchez opened the scoring from the penalty spot before defender Gabriel Mercado headed home a 31st minute corner to make it 2-0 to the 2015 Copa Sudamericana winners.
River Plate scored the third and final goal of the game just after the hour mark through midfielder Gonzalo Martinez, as the trophy went to South America for only the third time since the Suruga Cup’s inception in 2008, with the Argentine side’s victory ending a run of five successive wins for Japanese clubs.
In an article published by the Japan Times, the 2009 AFC Player of the Year (pictured) said:
“We need to forget about this and move on. There’s still plenty of the season left to be played and we have to keep marching toward our goal of becoming Asian champions.
Gamba renew the defence of their J.League title on Sunday when they travel to the capital to take on FC Tokyo before entertaining Shimizu S-Pulse on August 22 in their last domestic fixture before the resumption of their continental campaign when the 2008 ACL winners continue their quest for a second AFC Champions League against fellow former champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the last eight of this season’s ACL.
The 2014 J.League treble winners travel to the Korea Republic for the first-leg of their quarter-final clash with the 2006 winners on August 26 before Gamba host the return fixture on September 16.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário