Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Osaka: Gamba Osaka go into next week’s AFC Champions League 2015 semi-final second leg against Guangzhou Evergrande on a positive note after the 2008 ACL winners downed fellow former champions Urawa Reds 2-1 in Round 14 of the second stage of the J.League on Saturday.
Midfielder Hiroyuki Abe (pictured) put Gamba a goal to the good with just seven minutes at the Expo ’70 Stadium before Shun Nagasawa added a second just before the hour mark.
Slovenia international Zlatan Ljubijankic pulled one back for Urawa Reds - who won Asia’s premier club competition in 2007 - one minute into stoppage time but Gamba held on for their seventh win of the campaign which keeps the defending champions fourth in the current J.League standings.
Kenta Hasegawa’s side now look to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit when they return to the continental stage and renew acquaintances with four-time Chinese Super League winners Guangzhou on Wednesday.
Photo: WSG