Gamba Osaka resilience to be tested against Guangzhou Evergrande in Asian Champions League

Japanese champions have pulled back from the brink before and in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg, they must overturn a 2-1 deficit following defeat in Guangzhou three weeks ago.

Kenta Hasegawa, the Gamba Osaka coach, will be looking for his team to stage another famous comeback when they take on Guangzhou Evergrande this week for a spot in the Asian Champions League final.

The Japanese champions have pulled back from the brink on three occasions during their run to this year’s last four, and in Wednesday’s semi-final second leg they must overturn a 2-1 deficit following defeat in Guangzhou three weeks ago.

But the resilient attitude that helped Gamba claim a domestic treble last season, together with an all-important away goal from the first leg, should give them confidence before the match at Osaka Expo ‘70 Stadium.

“It’s a difficult opponent, but we have to try hard and work together to advance to the final,” said Hasegawa, who took charge of Gamba in 2013 after they were relegated to Japan’s second division.

“This time we are playing at home and the most important thing is the motivation of the players. The key is how well we can do in terms of motivation and desire.

“We need to believe in ourselves, our ability to play as a team, and that we are capable of winning. We have to show everything on the pitch,” he added.

Under Hasegawa Gamba won promotion in 2013 before completing a clean sweep of Japanese titles last year as they won 15 of their last 20 games to lift the J League championship. They came from two goals down to beat Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-2 in the J League Cup final, and defeated Montedio Yamagata 3-1 in the Emperor’s Cup final.

The club’s brinkmanship continued into this season’s Champions League. Facing three must-win matches after picking up just one point from their first three group games, Gamba came from behind against Thailand’s Buriram United and South Korea’s Seongnam, with late goals in both games securing 2-1 victories and a place in the knockout stage.

Gamba, who won the tournament in 2008, averted elimination again in the quarter-finals when Koki Yonekura struck deep into stoppage time to earn them a 3-2 win over South Korean champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Guangzhou are eyeing a second Champions League title in three seasons and have been unbeaten in 18 competitive matches since Luiz Felipe Scolari took charge of the club in May. But the World Cup-winning Brazilian coach is wary of their Japanese opponents after a hard-fought first leg.

“Gamba Osaka is certainly the best team I have encountered since taking over as coach of Guangzhou. Their team has experience and ability,” Scolari said.

“But my players did well in the first leg and I was pleased with them. And I believe they will play well in the second leg. Our team has one goal: win the game.”

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