Vissel Kobe ran out winners at home against their big-spending Kansai neighbours, with goals from Kwon Kyung-won and Wellington Silva earning the three points. The first chance for the home team came early when a high press by Kosuke Onose stole the ball from the Vissel Kobe defence and he slipped the ball to Jiro Nakamura who ran on and, in turn slid the ball left to Patric for the shot was desperately cleared as the burly Brazilian set his sights on goal.

At the other end Jun Ichimori was equal to a crisp half-volley from Gotoku Sakai as both teams looked for the opening goal. Nakamura was up next with a rasping shot from outside the area which clipped the top of the crossbar in the 23rd minute, and then Patric was adjudged to have been fouled by Ryuho Kikuchi, the Vissel defender seeing a red card after a VAR review brought play back, after the referee had given nothing. Nothing came of the Nakamura free kick although the young starlet almost created the breakthrough, his cool pass aside for Ko Yanagisawa saw the Gamba defender hit the post with a low drive.

It was the left boot of Kwon Kyung-won that almost gave Gamba a lead just before the break, his shot from all of 30 Yards blasted the 'keeper's left-hand post as the way goal continued to lead a charmed life, but the game remained somehow scoreless at half time.

As the 2nd half got into its stride, Jiro Nakamura's cross from the right, after out-foxing Andres Iniesta saw Patric and Hiroto Yamami combine but the chance was spurned, and then Yamami saw his 63rd minute attempt well saved by Daiya Maekawa in the Vissel goal as the away team's 10 men held on. But the breakthrough finally came in the 81st minute as a Gamba corner was cleared, the shot was returned, blocked, and the ricochet fell to head of Kwon who took his chance to give Gamba a 1-0 lead. The luck finally went Gamba's way and it continued it that vein when Wellington Silva sealed the game with his team's second goal in added time, the shot deflecting off the back of Leo Osaki to give his goalkeeper no chance. Final score, Gamba 2-0 Vissel!

Team - Ichimori, Yanagisawa, Shoji, Kwon, Kurokawa (Fujiharu, 73), Okuno (Saito, 73), Dawhan, Onose (Leandro Pereira, 56), Nakamura (Wellington Solva, 73), Fukuda (Yamami, 30), Patric

Scorers:81' KWON Kyung-won 90+1' Wellington SILVA