Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Osaka: Coach Kenta Hasegawa was left with no regrets about the decision not to start Japan international striker Takashi Usami in Wednesday’s goalless draw with China’s Guangzhou Evergrande in the second leg of their AFC Champions League semi-final which denied the Japanese treble winners a place in the final.
Gamba headed into the second leg at Expo ’70 Commemorative Stadium needing to score following last month’s 2-1 defeat in China, but Hasegawa opted to leave Usami on the bench from the start.
The 23-year-old (pictured) was introduced on the hour mark and twice went close to adding to his four AFC Champions League goals while also creating a chance for team-mate Shu Kurata, but with Gamba unable to find the net inside the 90 minutes, Hasegawa’s side fell short of a return to the final for the first time since winning the 2008 continental title.
ACL SF 2nd Leg: Gamba Osaka 0-0 Guangzhou Evergrande (1-2 agg.)
“I have no regrets at all for Usami and that was a solid game plan. I believed having Usami play from the start of the second half was enough for him to score a goal,” said Hasegawa.
“Usami played for the national team and then we also played Urawa Reds and we only had three days in between, so if he started the match he might have started to slow down at the important point of the match, so we would then not be making the best use of our weapon.”
Gamba, who won the domestic treble last season in Japan, must now turn their attentions to the end of the J.League season as well as next week’s Nabisco Cup final against Kashima Antlers.
“My players did very well at home and played a good match. In such a great game we could not win so that is the most disappointing part,” added Hasegawa.
“The first leg loss away from home hurt us and it was harder than we expected on the road. The second leg was difficult and the players knew what it meant and were motivated and we had some close moments when we could score, but we could not score and we could not win.
“We played in this great AFC Champions League campaign and it made me believe I want to win the title in the future.
“We also have many more games left this year in the J.League and Nabisco Cup and we want to play well to clinch a spot in the Club World Cup.”
Veteran midfielder Yasuhito Endo is one of only a handful of players remaining from Gamba’s 2008 AFC Champions League success, and Hasegawa believes this years’ experience can only benefit Gamba in the future.
“With few players from our 2008 championship winning team we had many new players so this year they gained a lot of experience,” said Hasegawa.
“This is valuable for the players playing against teams from China, Korea Republic and Thailand, so we want to take advantage of this and it is a valuable experience for the future.”
Photo: WSG