Gamba Osaka resilience to be tested against Guangzhou Evergrande in Asain Champions League
Kenta Hasegawa, the Gamba Osaka coach, will be looking for his team to stage another famous comeback when they take on Guangzhou Evergrande this week for a spot in the Asian Champions League final.
The Japanese champions have pulled back from the brink on three occasions during their run to this year’s last four, and in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg they must overturn a 2-1 deficit following defeat in Guangzhou three weeks ago.
But the resilient attitude that helped Gamba claim a domestic treble last season, together with an all-important away goal from the first leg, should give them confidence before the match at Osaka Expo ‘70 Stadium.
“It’s a difficult opponent, but we have to try hard and work together to advance to the final,” said Hasegawa, who took charge of Gamba in 2013 after they were relegated to Japan’s second division.
“This time we are playing at home and the most important thing is the motivation of the players. The key is how well we can do in terms of motivation and desire.
“We need to believe in ourselves, our ability to play as a team, and that we are capable of winning. We have to show everything on the pitch,” he added.
Under Hasegawa Gamba won promotion in 2013 before completing a clean sweep of Japanese titles last year as they won 15 of their last 20 games to lift the J League championship. They came from two goals down to beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-2 in the J League Cup final, and defeated Montedio Yamagata 3-1 in the Emperor’s Cup final.
The club’s brinkmanship continued into this season’s Champions League. Facing three must-win matches after picking up just one point from their first three group games, Gamba came from behind against Thailand’s Buriram United and South Korea’s Seongnam, with late goals in both games securing 2-1 victories and a place in the knockout stage.
Gamba, who won the tournament in 2008, averted elimination again in the quarter-finals when Koki Yonekura struck deep into stoppage time to earn them a 3-2 win over South Korean champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Guangzhou are eyeing a second Champions League title in three seasons and have been unbeaten in 18 competitive matches since Luiz Felipe Scolari took charge of the club in May. But the World Cup-winning Brazilian coach is wary of their Japanese opponents after a hard-fought first leg.
“Gamba Osaka is certainly the best team I have encountered since taking over as coach of Guangzhou. Their team has experience and ability,” Scolari said.
“But my players did well in the first leg and I was pleased with them. And I believe they will play well in the second leg. Our team has one goal: win the game.”
Yamagishi brings Sanfrecce precious victory
Substitute Satoru Yamagishi’s go-ahead goal in second-half stoppage time helped host Sanfrecce Hiroshima secure a 2-1 win over Kawasaki Frontale and stay on top of the J.League’s second-stage standings on Saturday.
Sanfrecce grabbed the lead in the 50th minute with Kosei Shibasaki whipping a right-footed shot into the far-side net from the left side outside of the box. However, the lead was canceled out by Frontale striker Yoshito Okubo in the 83rd minute, who hammered a slicing shot near the box that fooled Hiroshima goalkeeper Takuto Hayashi.
The game seemed headed for a draw, but Yamagishi brought the host the precious victory just 2 minutes after entering the pitch. The veteran kicked in a deflected ball to finish off a Sanfrecce counterattack 3 minutes into injury time.
The loss dealt a huge blow to Frontale’s hopes of winning the second-stage title of the J.League’s top division. The gap between Frontale and Sanfrecce widened to eight with three games remaining.
Meanwhile, Kashima Antlers remained neck-and-neck with Sanfrecce, as the host rallied to beat Kashiwa Reysol 3-2 on the day. Both Kashima and Hiroshima earned 31 points in 14 games, but Antlers trail Sanfrecce in goal difference.
FC Tokyo and Urawa Reds were both dealt huge losses. FC Tokyo slipped from third to fifth after losing to Shonan Bellmare 2-1 at home, while Reds also dropped two ranks to sixth after falling to host Gamba Osaka 2-1. Gamba rose to fourth, while Yokohama F Marinos moved into third after beating visiting Vissel Kobe 2-1.Speech
Demotion takes S-Pulse to club low
SHIZUOKA — Shimizu S-Pulse, one of the original 10 clubs in the J.League when the league was established in 1993, was demoted from the top league for the first time in the club’s history on Saturday with three games remaining.
Shimizu still had a mathematical chance to stay in the top league next season even when it lost to Vegalta Sendai 1-0 at home in a day game. However, the team had no chance to get out of the relegation zone — the bottom three clubs in the yearly standings — when Albirex Niigata won 2-0 against Matsumoto Yamaga later Saturday evening.
“I have no excuse,” said manager Kazuaki Tasaka, who assumed the post following Katsumi Oenoki’s resignation in August. “I sincerely accept the fact that we were not good enough.”
The team that has represented the pride of “soccer kingdom” Shizuoka Prefecture will exit the top division next season, following the relegation of regional rival Jubilo Iwata, demoted after the 2013 season.
Saturday’s game unfolded in a way representing the club’s desperate but fruitless efforts this season to survive. Shimizu conceded a goal just four minutes into the game, as it failed to tightly mark Vegalta striker Ramon Lopes, allowing the Brazilian to score with a header off a corner kick.
Shimizu tried to bounce back, but the team made a number of errors on offense as its passwork lacked harmony, apparently because of pressure. “I was forced to realize the fact that we didn’t have the ability,” said striker Genki Omae, a remark echoed by goalkeeper Rikihiro Sugiyama.
As the team narrowly avoided relegation in the final game last year, Shimizu was supposed to start this season’s spring training camp filled with a sense of urgency. However, the attitude of the players didn’t come close to reflecting a team in desperate need of a rebuild.
After the season started, S-Pulse lost games as if it were a habit. Shimizu has so far conceded 59 goals in 31 games in the first and second stages, the worst among the 18 top-division clubs. The August replacement of the manager also failed to stimulate the team.
“We should have worked harder from practice,” said captain Takuya Honda.Speech
J-League
| StandingsJAPAN: J-League - Second stage | |||||
| Round 31 | |||||
| 17.10. 07:00 | Montedio Yamagata | Kofu | 0 : 1 | ||
| 17.10. 06:30 | Albirex Niigata | Yamaga | 2 : 0 | ||
| 17.10. 06:30 | Tosu | Nagoya | 0 : 0 | ||
| 17.10. 02:00 | FC Tokyo | Shonan | 1 : 2 | ||
| 17.10. 02:00 | G-Osaka | Urawa | 2 : 1 | ||
| 17.10. 02:00 | Hiroshima | Kawasaki Frontale | 2 : 1 | ||
| 17.10. 02:00 | Kashima | Kashiwa | 3 : 2 | ||
| 17.10. 02:00 | Shimizu | Vegalta Sendai | 0 : 1 | ||
| 17.10. 02:00 | Yokohama M. | Kobe | 2 : 1 | ||
| Round 30 | |||||
| 04.10. 02:00 | Kawasaki Frontale | G-Osaka | 5 : 3 | ||
| Show more matches |
| StandingsJAPAN: J-League - Second stage | |||||
| Round 32 | |||||
| 24.10. 02:00 | FC Tokyo | Urawa | |||
| 24.10. 02:00 | Kawasaki Frontale | Yokohama M. | |||
| 24.10. 02:00 | Kobe | Montedio Yamagata | |||
| 24.10. 02:00 | Kofu | Hiroshima | |||
| 24.10. 02:00 | Nagoya | Albirex Niigata | |||
| 24.10. 02:00 | Shimizu | Kashiwa | |||
| 24.10. 02:00 | Shonan | Kashima | |||
| 24.10. 02:00 | Yamaga | Tosu | |||
| 25.10. 02:00 | Vegalta Sendai | G-Osaka | |||
| Round 33 | |||||
| 07.11. 02:00 | Albirex Niigata | Shonan | |||
| 07.11. 02:00 | G-Osaka | Hiroshima | |||
| 07.11. 02:00 | Kashima | Yokohama M. | |||
| 07.11. 02:00 | Kashiwa | FC Tokyo | |||
| 07.11. 02:00 | Kobe | Yamaga | |||
| 07.11. 02:00 | Montedio Yamagata | Shimizu | |||
| 07.11. 02:00 | Nagoya | Kofu | |||
| 07.11. 02:00 | Tosu | Vegalta Sendai | |||
| 07.11. 02:00 | Urawa | Kawasaki Frontale | |||
| Show more matches |
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