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Adelaide fall short against Gamba Osaka
Adelaide United were no match to Gamba Osaka as they lost 2 nil at home and 5 nil on aggregate in the AFC Champions League final.
There is no doubt it was a big achievement for Adelaide to reach the final in the first place but in the final itself they were totally outclassed by a Gamba Osaka outfit who could easily have had the score line in double digits had they wanted.
The second leg was always going to be difficult for Adelaide after losing the first leg 3 nil even though it was at home but Gamba had a good plan to come and score quickly and settle their nerves.
That they did after Lucas' two early goals and then from there went on to dominate the match especially in the first half.
I thought Adelaide came a better team in the second half and maybe that was their best half out of the four in the two legged final but they did not take their chances when they got them.
I thought Gamba were having problems dealing Adelaide's corners but still Adelaide failed to take advantage of that.
It would have been good for Adelaide to have scored a consolation goal for their supporters but they failed to do that but they now have some good experience and something to build upon for the future.
I think this one sided final showed that there is no need for a two legged final. I think its better to have a one off match. Maybe its not ideal for Asian football considering how big Asian is but they could choose the final venue depending on who reached the final. Thats for the AFC to think about.
Its good that Gamba did not score more than three goals in the first leg otherwise it would have made the second leg academic and less appealing and yet the trophy is presented in the second leg.
Adelaide reaching the final has been good for the A-League and its now up to the other teams in the A-League to emulate what Adelaide has done with limited resources.
Next season Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners will be participating in the AFC Champions League and I hope that they will give a good showing.