NEWS

Gamba Osaka needed extra time to hold off 10-man Yokohama F. Marinos 1-0 Monday and reach the final of the Emperor’s Cup, setting up a showdown with Kashiwa Reysol in the season-closing tournament.

Forward Masato Yamazaki, who scored five goals in his team’s successful AFC Champions League campaign, struck in the 117th minute to help the north Osaka team reach the final for the first time since 2006.
“Our goal came from our deep desire to win this tournament and what comes with it,” said Gamba manager Akira Nishino. “Our players were tired but did really well.” The winners of the Emperor's Cup will qualify for the Asian Champions League.
In the other semifinal, Kashiwa came from behind to beat FC Tokyo 2-1 at Ecopa Stadium in Shizuoka thanks to a last-minute winner from substitute forward Tadanari Lee.
Playing at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Gamba looked sluggish after playing their quarterfinal on Thursday night in Kobe.
Gamba threatened the Marinos goal with Hideo Hashimoto’s free-kick in the 23rd minute, while forward Ryuji Bando hit the post from the edge of the box in the 31st minute. But the Asian champions faced tough resistance from the Marinos' young players.
Marinos increased their offensive power with the arrival of Norihisa Shimizu in the 68th minute, but they suffered when the same player was sent off in the 103rd minute for collecting his second booking of the day.
In extra time, Gamba had a number of chances through Brazilian forward Lucas, substitute midfielder Shinichi Terada and Yamazaki.
The winner came in the 117th minute, when Yamazaki latched on to a fine through ball from Terada and blasted home from just inside the box.
Yamazaki said, “We never give up. That helped us score this goal. I’m so glad we won this important game.”
Nishino said, “Before going into extra time, I told our players to be aware of a single chance, and our substitutes [Shu] Kurata and [Shinichi] Terada did a good job to give momentum to the team.”
In Shizuoka, Brazilian forward Franca, a second-half substitute, canceled out Tatsuya Suzuki’s 32nd-minute opener in the 69th minute after being set up with a header from compatriot Alex.
Tokyo attempted to take the initiative back from their opponents and came close through substitute midfielder Emerson in the 83rd minute.
Two minutes from time, Lee, also a second-half substitute, played a neat double-pass with Franca and blasted home from mid-range for the win.
Reysol will make their first appearance in the final since becoming a professional J. League club.
Kashiwa manager Nobuhiro Ishizaki said, “This victory came through playing as a unit. Our players worked really hard, defending well at dangerous moments. We’d like to celebrate this win first before starting our preparations for the final.”
The final will kick off at 2 p.m. on Thursday at the National Stadium in Tokyo.