Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Guangzhou: Gamba Osaka put on a five star display in southern China as they demolished Guangzhou R&F 5-0 to ensure they remain in the Group F mix for the last 16 of the AFC Champions League.
Despite having lost back-to-back games in their opening two fixtures of the continental championship, Gamba have grown into the tournament and took four points from their two meetings with then group leaders Buriram United of Thailand before they blew away their Chinese hosts at Yuexiu stadium on Wednesday.
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Contra takes the blame for R&F’s drubbing by Gamba
A brace from Brazilian striker Patric and a strike for Hiroyuki Abe had given the visitors a three goal cushion at half time, before Abe netted his second and Takashi Usami added Gamba’s fifth in the second half to inflict a crushing defeat on Cosmin Contra’s side, who also saw captain Zhang Yaokun sent off late on.
Although the hosts had looked to take the tie to Gamba in the opening spell, they struggled to create clear chances whilst in the attacking duo of Patric and Usami, the 2008 winners looked ominous going forward.
And it was their South American star who gave the visitors the lead on 14 minutes after bundling home the ball following a header across goal from Japan star Yasuhito Endo.
Usami then nearly laid the ball on a plate for Patric to notch his brace after the half hour mark, as the forward sent in a piercing cross from the left but the Brazilian’s flick on the penalty spot edged just wide of Liu Dianzuo’s far post.
But with two minutes of the half remaining Gamba did have their second with Usami and Patric again at the heart of a splendid team move.
Usami’s scintillating outside-of-the-right-boot cross from the left found Patric lurking towards the far post and his header across goal landed perfectly for Abe to slide home.
Worse came for the shell-shocked hosts and just a minute later they went three goals down. Usami’s ball over the top found Patric running through on goal and the Brazilian swept the ball confidently past Liu for his second of the night.
Although Patric, one of Guangzhou’s tormentors-in-chief, was taken off early in the second half his replacement and countryman Lins continued where the big forward had left off.
Twice in three minutes the substitute South American sprang the Guangzhou offside trap to devastating effect with his surging runs down the right laying on two more goals for the rampant visitors.
The first came on 68 minutes, his inviting pass across goal rolled into the path of Abe who fired in his second of the game past the helpless Liu.
And just two minutes later, Lins repeated his trick from the flank. This time it was Usami he found surging through the centre to place the ball into the bottom right hand corner.
Captain Zhang Yaokun’s dismissal for his second yellow card of the game with seven minutes remaining compounded a night to forget for the southern Chinese club and one to remember for a long time for the jubilant Gamba players and supporters who had made the journey from Osaka.
Photo: WSG