Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Osaka: Japanese treble winners Gamba Osaka secured a return to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League for the first time since winning the continental title in 2008 after Wednesday’s 3-2 second leg win over Korea Republic’s FC Seoul secured a convincing 6-3 victory on aggregate.
Brazilian Patric opened the scoring for Group F winners Gamba after just 16 minutes at Expo ’70 Stadium as Kenta Hasegawa’s side quickly added to last week’s 3-1 first leg victory in Korea before Shu Kurata added a second on the stroke of half-time after Mauricio Molina had missed a penalty for the visitors.
And despite Yun Ju-tae scoring twice for FC Seoul in the second half either side of a header from Gamba’s Brazilian substitute Lins, the K-League Classic side failed to secure a fourth quarter-final appearance in five years.
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Video highlights
Having won last week’s first leg 3-1 to leave Group H runner-up FC Seoul needing to score at least three goals in the return fixture, Gamba moved further ahead after just 16 minutes as Takashi Usami’s superb solo run and cross was headed home by Patric after covering defender Osmar Barba had been unable to clear the ball on the edge of the six yard area.
Usami, who scored twice last week at Seoul World Cup Stadium, continued to pull the strings as the half progressed and tested goalkeeper Kim Yong-dae after 32 minutes.
Yun was able to register FC Seoul’s first real shot on target four minutes later, but the strike from inside the penalty area was straight at goalkeeper Masaaki Higashiguchi.
FC Seoul were handed a chance to keep their slim qualification hopes alive four minutes before half-time, but Colombian midfielder Molina dragged his penalty wide despite having sent Higashiguchi the wrong way.
And Gamba took full advantage in the last minute of the first half as 2013 finalists FC Seoul failed to clear Hiroyuki Abe’s low cross into the area, and after Usami had attempted to claim possession inside the area, the ball finally broke for Kurata and the midfielder fired past goalkeeper Kim.
The home side maintained their dominance at the start of the second half and Kim had to be on his toes to beat away a rising strike from Usami seven minutes after the restart.
But it was FC Seoul who struck four minutes before the hour mark to reduce the deficit as Yun netted a deflected first-time strike from Shim Je-hyeok’s low cross.
Gamba, though, remained the more attack-minded side despite still leading by three goals on aggregate and Patric was denied a second of the night with 20 minutes remaining as Kim got down well to claw the Brazilian’s downward header out of the bottom corner.
And Kim remained the busier of the two goalkeepers inside the closing stages and was beaten for a third time with three minutes remaining as Lins headed home Koki Yonekura’s cross.
There was still, though, time for Yun to net his second of the night although it was not enough to stop FC Seoul suffering defeat on the night as well as in the tie overall.
Photo: WSG