Gamba Osaka began this game with Shu Kurata as a forward, and also found room on the bench for Genta Miura, slwoly returning from injury. And what a start for Kurata, as we saw this game explode as early as the second minute, as Issam Jebali bore down on Albirex defender Kazuhiko Chiba trying to guide the ball out, and stole the ball, sliding it into the path of Kurata for the goal - his first of the season. a good start for Gamba, seeking the win that could kick start their season and change their luck.

Jebali himself almost doubled the score in the 10th minute, his first-time shot from a Keisuke Kurokawa cross flying inches wide of the post as Gamba controlled the early stages. Jebali did, though, create the next goal, too, as he exchanged passes with Juan Alano in midfield before drawing the defenders towards him and slipping the ball deftly aside for Alano to blast home Gamba's second to give them a 2-0 lead at the break.

Despite dominating the game, and leading convincingly, within three minutes of the restart, Gamba had allowed the home team back into the game as Michael James Fitzgerald's glancing header dropped in at the far post, to halve the home team's lead in the 48th minute. Within 10 minutes, though, Gamba made it 3-1 as Kurokawa and Hideki Ishige combined to find the Gamba left back racing into the box to get on the end of Ishige's chipped return pass, and a superb finish saw Kurokawa return Gamba's two-goal cushion, with his first goal of the 2023 campaign.

Albirex thought they might have had a second goal when Shunsuke Mito's shot through a crowd was mis-handled by Masaaki Higashiguchi and the ball bobbled on the goal-line, but the 'keeper made it safe at the second attempt.

Gamba settled back to ensure the win, taking few risks in the latter stages of the game to add a vital win in their fight to avoid the bottom spot of J1. Bring on Avispa Fukuoka next week!

Team - Higashiguchi, Handa, Fukuoka, Sato, Kurokawa, Lavi (Miura, 86'), Y.Yamamoto (R.Yamamoto, 73'), Ishige (Dawhan, 58'), Juan Alano (Meshino, 86'), Jebali, Kurata (Takao, 73')

SCORERS:
Shu KURATA 2'
Juan ALANO 43'
Keisuke KUROKAWA 56'