Gamba Osaka came home from their trip to the northern island of Sapporo with three well-earned points on a goal from substitute Kazuma Watanabe. The away team went for goals from the start - as always - and Genta Miura headed a corner just over the bar in the first minute to set the tone of the game. Just after the half hour mark Takashi Usami and Kosuke Onose combined down the right to free Onose who then took his time, allowing Usami to get into the box for the cross that Usami headed wide of the mark when he really should have hit the target.
Just before the break an Usami free kick was headed on at the near post area and handled by Takuma Arano, but the officials missed what TV replays showed was clear cut and the game remained 0-0 at half time.
The 2nd half saw more Gamba possession and passing but the breakthrough just would not come and manager Tsuneyasu Miyamoto withdrew Usami and brought on Kazuma Watanabe, paying almost immediate dividends. A Consadole corner was cleared with ease and Gamba drove forward en masse and Hiroki Fujiharu crossed from the left for Watanabe to get a head to. The 'keeper saved this initial attempt but the ball bounced back off the post for the Gamba marksman to score his 97th J1 goal and give Gamba the points!
Team - Higashiguchi, Takao, Miura (Shoji, 74), Kim, Onose, Fujiharu, Yamamoto (Endo, 74), Ideguchi, Kurata (Fukuda, 89), Ademilson (Patric, 63), Usami (Watanabe, 74)
Goal - Kazuma WATANABE 78'
Just before the break an Usami free kick was headed on at the near post area and handled by Takuma Arano, but the officials missed what TV replays showed was clear cut and the game remained 0-0 at half time.
The 2nd half saw more Gamba possession and passing but the breakthrough just would not come and manager Tsuneyasu Miyamoto withdrew Usami and brought on Kazuma Watanabe, paying almost immediate dividends. A Consadole corner was cleared with ease and Gamba drove forward en masse and Hiroki Fujiharu crossed from the left for Watanabe to get a head to. The 'keeper saved this initial attempt but the ball bounced back off the post for the Gamba marksman to score his 97th J1 goal and give Gamba the points!
Team - Higashiguchi, Takao, Miura (Shoji, 74), Kim, Onose, Fujiharu, Yamamoto (Endo, 74), Ideguchi, Kurata (Fukuda, 89), Ademilson (Patric, 63), Usami (Watanabe, 74)
Goal - Kazuma WATANABE 78'