Many football stories are dramatic enough to be worth a Hollywood script, but Gamba Osaka adventures in the last three years would probably make the most incredible films of all time. The Japanese J-League is pulsating and unpredictable almost every season, and yet Gamba’s 2014 championship triumph tops everything the Land of the Rising Sun has ever witnessed.
– #Quiz360: WIN a bungee jump courtesy of Gravity Zone dubai
For those who are not familiar with Japanese football, it must be noted that Gamba are one of the top clubs in the country. Under steady leadership of coach Akira Nishino they finished in the top three eight times out of 10 between 2002 and 2011, playing with a very attack-minded, gung-ho style and scoring more than two goals per game more often than not. They won the title in 2005 and lifted the Asian Champions League in 2008.
Nishino’s contract wasn’t extended ahead of the 2012 season, which was a grave mistake in retrospect. The team was still expected to do well, but struggled to find consistency and a dreadful start meant that they were in trouble despite finding the net at will. The result was bizarre in the extreme – Gamba were relegated with a positive goal difference and the best scoring record in the whole league.
The extraordinary, most likely unprecedented, final stats read – 67 goals for, 65 goals against. Champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima scored 63 goals, Niigata who stayed clear of relegation in 15th place had just 29. Gamba proved to be almost unstoppable up front. In fact, they failed to score only three times in 34 matches, all of them early in the season. They won 5-0 away to top teams like Nagoya and Urawa Red Diamons, and lost only three games out of their last 16 fixtures, but remarkably that still wasn’t enough. Having finished third in 2011, they ended up in 17th place in 2012, second from bottom.
Gamba going down was the biggest sensation the J-League has ever experienced, especially because they had one of the best Japanese stars on their books in captain Yasuhito Endo. The club managed to keep him, and decided to use their unexpected demise to rebuild the team and make a fresh start under former Shimizu legend Kenta Hasegawa. Their immediate promotion in 2013 was never in doubt, and they remained true to their attacking philosophy, scoring 99 goals in 42 games in the second tier.
Expectations were rather low ahead of the new 2014 season, however. The squad wasn’t supposed to be strong enough to fight it out at the top, and the start was desperately poor. Gamba won just twice in their first 11 matches, and lost no less than seven, to find themselves deep in the relegation zone.
To make matters worse, city rivals Cerezo Osaka made a lot of positive headlines, having signed one of the most impressive foreign stars in the league’s history in former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan, Golden Ball winner at the 2010 World Cup. They took nine points from their first four games, and hopes of first ever J-League title skyrocketed as a result.
Those aspirations were short-lived, but Urawa Red Diamonds became clear favourites to finish top of the table. The Mitsubishi-sponsored club had the best squad in the country and were unusually consistent for a team with a reputation of being mentally fragile and losing the plot just when it matters most. Come July, Urawa had 29 points from 14 games. Gamba won just 15 points at that stage. If anyone had suggested that Gamba would be champions, they would have most probably been locked up in mental institution.
Then an extraordinary turnaround occurred. Gamba found their game, and started winning on a weekly basis. Burly Brazilian striker Patric was in brilliant form, 34-year-old Endo was imperious in midfield, and the most important contribution came from Takashi Usami. The tricky winger was loaned out to Bayern Munich in 2011, but didn’t really make it in the Bundesliga, and eventually came home to help the team in the second division. Now he was back to his very best, scoring ten goals and providing countless assists to his team-mates.
Patric’s goal for Gamba’s second. “@GambaOsakaSoul: Usami it is, https://t.co/zBF4t5MiFI. Brilliant first half! #Gamba” #JLeague
— Ryan Steele (ライアン) (@Steelinho) November 29, 2014
Between July and October, Gamba won 12 of their 14 games, but Urawa were still going strong themselves, so nobody in Osaka even dared to think of a championship triumph. That was when Cerezo came to their aid. Cacau, the former Germany striker signed from Stuttgart in the summer, scored the winner for the city rivals against Urawa to stop their run, and suddenly the Red Diamonds became their usual selves – the losing team.
Despite their struggles, everything was in Urawa’s hands with three games to go. Ahead of the crunch game versus Gamba at home, they enjoyed a five-point lead, which meant a draw was more than enough. They actually played better, but after 88 minutes Gamba sensationally took the lead, Akhiro Sato finishing a superb counter-attack with a goal reminiscent of the Roberto Baggio strike against Nigeria in 1994. Shu Kurata calmly made it 2-0 in injury time, and the gap was down to two points.
Urawa could still wrap up the title with six points from the last two fixtures, but the pressure was well and truly on them. They had become the laughing stock of Japan again even before the collapse was complete, and a tough away game at Tosu was the last thing they needed. Nevertheless, they looked on their way to a hard-fought 1-0 win with Tosu down to ten men – until the hosts equalized with virtually the last move of the game, scoring from a simple corner four minutes into stoppage time.
At the same time, Gamba won 3-1 against Kobe, with Usami scoring a brace and Patric adding the third. Suddenly, the team that was deep in relegation trouble in the middle of the season, went top on goal difference with just a single game remaining. And it was the easiest game possible.
On the final day, Gamba played hapless Tokushima, easily the worst team in J-League history. They won just 13 points in 33 games, scoring 16 goals and conceding 74. Ahead of the game versus Gamba, they had lost 11 and drawn once in 12 fixtures. It was crystal clear that they couldn’t do anything against the leaders. But they did!
Gamba fans couldn’t believe their eyes. Usami, Patric, Endo and their friends couldn’t find their way past the lousy defence, and the game ended goalless. Thus Urawa could clinch the title with a home win against fierce rivals Nagoya. Leading 1-0 at half-time, and getting amazingly positive news from Tokushima, the Red Diamonds believed that it will be their season after all.
WE ARE GAMBA OSAKA! #Tennouhai #Treble pic.twitter.com/w3nfmExXuU
— GambaOsakaSoul (@GambaOsakaSoul) December 13, 2014
There was a final twist, however. Nagoya equalised on 72 minutes and stole it at the death to win 2-1. With both leaders failing, Kashima Antlers could win the title from behind, but they lost as well, and thus Gamba celebrated wildly after their worst performance of the season.
They were relegated in 2012 scoring 67 goals. Now they were champions in 2014 with just 59 goals to their name. To make it even sweeter, Cerezo were sensationally relegated without a fight, and the heavily criticized Forlan announced that he wants to leave the club. Could the year possibly get any better for Gamba?
