Kashima Antlers 5-1 Gamba Osaka
As it was, at the start of the game a Gamba win and they'd be level on points with Kashima going into the
last game, a Kashima win and it was all over for Gamba... pressure?
Yes, a high stakes game indeed, but Gamba seemed to be confident going
into the game unbeaten since August, and it was Kashima's game - and
Championship - to lose. It was going to be a tense afternoon in
Ibaraki!

This game kicked off with Takagi returning to the left back position
for Gamba Osaka, Nakazawa - pronounced fit to play, Yamaguchi and Kaji
completing the back four in front of Fujigaya in goal. Hashimoto -
missing due to injury - was, again, replaced by Sasaki, with Endo
dropping back into a slightly more defensive role with Myojin, Sasaki
and Futagawa the more attacking of the midfield four. Pedro Junor and
Lucas were the starting forwards, as expected.

While the Gamba wings were under siege for the first 15 minutes, it
was Gamba - through Lucas, and Sasaki twice - who go the shots in,
Kashima restricted to pressure on the sides and crosses that were
cleared with ease. The closest Kashima came in the opening session was
a long range Ogasawara free kick that was headed clear for a corner by
Lucas.

Antlers' tactic was obviously to pressure Gamba high up the field and
stop the rhythm of the Osaka side's passing game and, while this
seemed to work, it was Gamba who had the shots on the board.

In the 16th minute Sasaki burst through on the right and was brought
down dangerously by Inoha, but the referee kept his card in his
pocket. Endo swung in the free kick but it was cleared easily.

Takagi was looking a natural left back today, getting in some
blistering tackles high up the field, as well as some nice passes
under pressure ... Kaji was hardly getting a look-in on the right, as
Kashima concentrated on the right, Nozawa, Koroko, Motoyama and
Marquinhos all rotating around as the left side of their game seemed
to be neglected, perhaps intentionally, as if they'd hoped that Takagi
a centre back out of position was to be the weak link?
Into the 23rd minute neither keeper had been tested, Kashima not even
having had a shot anywhere near the target and, as we moved into the
26th minute, Takagi cut out a pass in midfield, advanced, slipped the
ball to Pedro Junior who slipped past a defender and lined up the 20
yard shot, only to be brought down on the edge of the area. The
Kashima fans booed loudly and the Gamba fans anticipated their hero
placing the ball in a corner for the first goal.. but, no! Over.

Minutes later, Pedro Junior dribbled into a forest of defenders in the
penalty area and was brought down by the left leg of Koji Nakata!
No... the referee judged it a dive and yellow carded Pedro Junior.
Replays later showed there was clear contact and a penalty would not
have been out of order!

Gamba were now getting it together and causing problems as they
settled into the passing game, with Takagi, in particular getting a
few telling plays in... Lucas, Futagawa, Pedro Junior and Lucas all
got in on the act before Myojin finished off a nice move with a low
drive that was a foot wide of the keeper's right post in the 33rd
minute.

In the 43rd Marquinhos got a header on target from a right side free
kick, although Fujigaya was not really tested but, as the break
approached it was all Gamba pressure as Antlers were pegged back and,
just before the break Ogasawara intentionally elbowed Sasaki in the
throat in the area - a red card offence, and a penalty if it had been
seen by the officials as easily as it was seen on the TV feed replays!
Sasaki was lucky the Antlers's captain's elbow was not a few inches
higher - his season would have been finished! And, if the referee had
seen it, Ogasawara's season would have been over, also! An early bath,
and a lengthy ban would not have been unjust. An arm raised - especially intentionally like this - at an
opponent is a clear red card offence.

The half ended with Antlers players relieved as Gamba piled on the
pressure, Kashima hardly touching the ball for the last minutes of the
half. And, while there hadn't been a clear cut save by either keeper,
the game had swung Gamba's way and Antlers coach Oliveira and the
Kashima fans were probably counting their blessings that the two
penalties had not been awarded by referee Yoshida. A very intriguing
2nd half was promised. At this point it was also 0-0 in the Frontale -
Albirex game. If it stayed this way all three of Kashima, Kawasaki and
Gamba would still be in it on the final day of the season!

The good news for Gamba fans was that their team came out with all
guns blazing and continued where they had left off, Antlers hardly
getting a touch of the ball for the first ten minutes of the 2nd half
- the away team's passes were crisp, the movement was quick and the
confidence was visible. Kashima started preparing substitutes, they
were so out played in this opening period... and the, suddenly, out of
nowhere, a mis-controlled ball from Nozawa fell kindly for Marquinhos,
who snapped off a 25 yarder that whizzed past the post. Gamba had to
make sure their dominance paid dividend with a goal, and that they did
not lose concentration at the back.

Sure enough, in the 57th minute Danilo was prepared to replace
Motoyama, as Oliveira tried to plug the gaps and then, Pedro Junior
lost a ball on the half way line, the ball was fed forward to Koroki
and he twisted and turned Nakazawa before putting the ball across
Fujigaya and into the net. Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Nozawa took
a clearance from the Gamba defence, after a Marquinhos shot had been
parried and curled it over the outstretched Fujigaya. It was all over
for Gamba! Or was it? Two minutes later and Futagawa made it 2-1, as
he controlled a reverse pass, turned one defender and calmly slotted
the ball home as FOUR defenders slid into him from all directions. Now
it was getting interesting!

A minute later Lucas was late with a tackle on Ogasawara and went into
the book. From the free kick, the ball ricocheted to Nozawa on the
left side of the area. he poked the ball back across the area and
Koroki beat Yamaguchi to it and poked it past Fujigaya... 3-1 Antlers.
Just over 25 minutes to go and now a miracle was needed for Gamba to
stay in the hunt for the Championship. Perhaps it would come from
Yasuda or Cho, who both came on - for Sasaki and Kaji on 67 minutes.

Gamba went to three centre backs, Futagawa moved to right wing back,
and Yasuda slotted into the position he is best at, left wing. It was
all or nothing, but a minute later and Lucas received his 2nd yellow
and was sent off for an innocent looking jump - the referee adjudging
that he raised his elbow as he jumped. Compared to the deliberate
elbow by Ogasawara on Sasaki (watch the replays if you get a chance,
Ogasawara clearly checks where Sasaki is and then up comes the arm)
earlier in the game, this was child's play - it's quite alarming how
much a referee's decisions can affect match - and indeed Championship
- outcomes! And, a minute later, Marquinhos went into the back of
Nakazawa's head with his arm, and there was no reaction from the
referee - although plenty of reaction from Nakazawa! His choice words
upset Marquinhos who had to be restrained as the game heated up.
Perhaps the Brazilian forward had also heard that Frontale had taken
the lead, so even a Kashima win would not be enough to take the
Championship today.

To the blue and black spectacled writer of this report (!) the referee
was losing it. A minute later, Pedro Junior and Endo were both upended
on the edge of the Kashima area, neither foul given, and then Takagi
won the ball cleanly and a foul was given. The fact that Takagi's
tackle was in the Kashima area - and Takagi was one of the three Gamba
defenders showed how much Gamba were gong for this game. Of course,
they would also be leaving themselves open for the counter-attack. The
last 15 minutes were promising to be interesting, to say the least!

in the 78th minute Yasuda whipped down the left wing as Gamba's ten
men took the game to Kashima, his cross was aimed at Cho, who was
wrestled to the ground, the ball cleared, but only as far as that man
Takagi again, whose volley from 30 yards whistled past the post.

In the 82nd minute, Endo and Yasuda exchanged passes on the edge of
the area, and Endo was taken out right on the 18 yard line for a free
kick. A final chance to get back in the game, but too close to really
be able to get it on target. Amazingly, by the time the free kick was
taken, it was 25 yards out - how the referee missed that is anyone's
guess! Endo's free kick was deflected for a corner.

Gamba had now taken off Nakazawa and brought on Yamazaki as Takagi was
playing almost as a forward at times, it seems that Gamba went to they
a 1-5-3 formation, with Yamaguchi holding th fort at the back. The
last throw of the dice didn't work, but at least Gamba went for it....
Tashiro found himself free to make it 4-1, then Nozawa went free on
the right, turned and crossed to the three attackers wide open in the
area, and Danilo made it 5-1 to Kashima. In lost time, Gamba took a
corner and, even at this point in the game, they had 8 players up and
the clearance found four Kashima players against one Gamba defender
only for Fujigaya to make a smart save from Ogasawara.

Despite the final unflattering scoreline Gamba Osaka's players should
be proud of the way they took this game to Kashima, even after going
down to ten men - classic Nishino all-or-nothing substitutions - and
we can all reflect on what would have happened with a different
referee. Would he have given Pedro Junior a penalty or a yellow card?
Would he have seen Ogasawara's attack on Sasaki and given a PK and a
red card? Would he have judged Lucas' elbow to have been deliberate?
Who knows? That's football - you take the rough with the smooth and,
until TV replays are used - and I would never advocate that for
football - that's football!


Posted by Alan on 28 Nov 2009