In this Osaka Derby we saw both teams out out strong line-ups looking for qualification for the quarter-final knockout stages, and it was Gamba Osaka that came out on top, thanks to Riku Handa's 37th-minute strike at a corner.

It was a packed stadium with a huge proportion of away fans looking for the win that would take their team through - and of course, wanting a win over their local rivals - and the fans in blue and black were not disappointed.

Gamba had the best of the early plays with Ryotaro Meshino seeing the opposition 'keeper scrambling down low to his left as the ball crept past his post, while Cerezo were held to a distant free kick that Kosei Tani had no problem dealing with at his right post.

And so it was Handa who gave Gamba their lead, glancing home a header from a Yuki Yamamoto corner, to add to his first-ever J1 goal scored at the weekend. The defender was on fire!

The 12th minute of the 2nd half saw Cerezo come close to an equalizer, from a speculative glancing header from Mutsuki Kato, Tani rising high to his left to claw the ball away from the top corner to keep the lead. Apart from this the Gamba goal was never under threat - Capixaba completely missed a cross into the box when all he had to do was connect, Jordy Croux shot well over from distance and Shinji Kagawa was caught offside when he thought he might be in on goal - and the final whistle went to see Gamba take a well-deserved victory and cruise into the last eight of the Levain Cup.

Team - Tani, Handa, Miura, Fukuoka, Kurokawa, Y.Yamamoto, Dawhan, Ishige (R.Yamamoto 79'), Juan Alano (Takao 89'), Meshino (Fukuda 68'), Kurata (Usami 79')

Scorer: Riku HANDA 37'