NEWS

Gamba Osaka clinched the Emperor’s Cup for the first time by edging Kashiwa Reysol 1-0 in extra time thanks to substitute forward Ryuji Bando’s late goal on Thursday at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

Victory in the season-ending tournament means that Gamba will now have the chance to defend their Asian Champions League title. From Japan, J. League champions Kashima Antlers, runners-up Kawasaki Frontale and third-place finishers Nagoya Grampus will also take part in the annual club competition.
“I’m so moved by our wonderful players and staff,” said an emotional Gamba manager Akira Nishino. “They performed superbly.”
Playing before 44,066 spectators in the traditional New Year’s Day fixture, Gamba showed how much they wanted the title and the chance to defend their Asian crown, but they found themselves up against an equally determined Kashiwa team.
Kashiwa, playing in the final for the first time since 1975, when they won the tournament as Hitachi, created several chances, with Brazilian forward Popo looking lively up front. Nobuhiro Ishizaki, in his last game as Reysol manager, brought on Brazilian forward Franca at halftime and striker Tadanari Lee in the 59th minute in order to boost their firepower.
From Franca crosses, Kashiwa defender Masahiro Koga headed wide in the 61st minute, while Lee came close in the 68th minute with a volley.
The Kashiwa players started to struggle as the match wore on and Gamba began to take control of the game.
As neither side could find the target over 90 minutes, the game went into extra time.
Gamba manager Akira Nishino brought on Bando at the start of the second half of extra time and introduced midfielder Shu Kurata in the 114th minute.
Three minutes from time, Kurata moved a Yasuhito Endo pass on to Bando. The 29-year-old forward’s initial attempt was blocked, but the ball fell kindly and the Osaka striker was able to guide a low left-foot shot past Kashiwa goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno.
Bando played in only 15 J. League matches this season due to injuries and health problems. He last scored on March 30 in the J. League after scoring twice at Chunnam Dragons in their ACL group-stage game on March 19.
“I hadn’t done much for my team this season, so I was just thinking about scoring a goal today,” Bando stated. “I’m so glad I was able to meet the expectations of my manager and would like to become a better player who can score consistently.”
Bando added, “After experiencing the ACL and tasting victory, we all wanted to play in it again.”
Nishino said, “I’m happy with the result and would like to praise our players’ hard work.”
Ishizaki commented: “Gamba deserved the win; they are a great team. Although they were tired, they still were able to play a high level of football.”