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There was no Lazarus-like comeback for Adelaide United last night – just a decent burial as Japan’s Gamba Osaka deservedly won the Asian Champions League final 5-0 on aggregate.
The Australian side’s brave bid to become Asian soccer’s club champions ended with a 2-0 loss to Gamba in last night’s second leg of the final at Hindmarsh Stadium to add to their 3-0 defeat in the first leg last week in Japan.
Needing to win by four clear goals to become Asia’s club champions, United came into last night’s match knowing they had to dig themselves out of a huge hole.
Instead their Gamba Osaka rivals arrived bearing giant shovels and no mercy to have the backfilling complete inside the first 15 minutes with two early goals to Brazilian striker Lucas.
Just as they had done in the first leg, the skilful Gamba side had the ball on a string for the first 45 minutes last night as United looked ponderous at the back and breaking from midfield.
Adelaide fell behind after just four minutes when they failed to adequately deal with a ball at the back and winger Hayato Sasaki fired in a long-range shot.
Teenage goalkeeper Mark Birighitti saved it, but Lucas pounced on the rebound to stun the sellout 17,000 crowd.
Eleven minutes later, the final was effectively all over as Gamba neatly shredded United through the midfield, putting Lucas through on goal to deliver a delightful toe-poked finish under Birighitti.
That left Adelaide needing an improbable six goals in the second half to become the first Australian team to become Asian club champions.
Though lacking the technical proficiency of their rivals, the Reds came out fighting and came closest to scoring when Kristian Sarkies just failed to make contact with a Travis Dodd cross on 51 minutes.
It is Gamba’s first Asian club championship victory and gives Japanese clubs back-to-back wins following Urawa Red Diamonds’ 2007 ACL triumph.
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