2016 Gamba Osaka season

Gamba Osaka 2016 Kenta Hasegawa Manager Teruhisa Noro Chairman J1 League 4th Emperor's Cup Quarter-final J.League Cup Runner Up AFC Champions League Group Stage Japanese Super Cup Runner Up Ademilson 9 Shun Nagasawa 9 Ademilson 13 34,231 vs Yokohama F. Marinos (J1) on 2 April 2016 8,789 vs Shimizu S-Pulse (Emperor's Cup) on 9 November 2016 25,342 2015 2017 _gamba16h _gamba16h _gamba16h 000055 000055 000055 000000 000000 _gamba16a _gamba16a _gamba16a _bluetopline FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF 0000FF FFFFFF The 2016 Gamba Osaka season was Gamba Osaka's 23rd season in the J1 League and 29th overall in the Japanese top flight. Like the previous season, the 2016 campaign was split into two stages, with the first stage running from February to June, the second stage being held between July and November and finally a Championship stage in late November. With city-rivals Cerezo Osaka failing to gain promotion from J2, Gamba's main rivalry match was the Hanshin derby against Vissel Kobe with an away game held in round 4 on the 19th March and the return home match in round 26 on August 20.https://int.soccerway.com/national/japan/j1-league/2016/1st-stage/r34209/ Soccerway J1 First-Stage Fixtures Soccerway 21 February 2016https://int.soccerway.com/national/japan/j1-league/2016/2nd-stage/r34210/ Soccerway J1 Second-Stage Fixtures Soccerway 21 February 2016 Gamba finished in 6th place in the first stage of the season and 4th place in the second stage for an overall 4th-place finish. Gamba's position as runner-up in the 2015 J1 League Championship saw them automatically qualify for the 2016 AFC Champions League, their eighth appearance in the competition. Looking to improve on their run to the semi-finals in 2015, they were drawn into the tough looking Group G along with Australian side Melbourne Victory, South Korea's Suwon Samsung Bluewings and big-spending Chinese outfit Shanghai SIPG. The group stage kicked off on Wednesday 24 February and concluded on Tuesday 3 May with all sides in the group playing each other home and away in a round-robin basis.http://www.the-afc.com/afcasfeeds?view=all&id=180&type=Stage#ui-tabs-3 AFC Champions League Schedule and Results AFC 21 February 2016 Gamba were eliminated at the group stage with only 2 points from 6 games to show for their efforts. As winners of the 2015 Emperor's Cup, Gamba competed in the season opening Japanese Super Cup, held in Yokohama on 20 February. The annually held match pitted Gamba against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, the side who defeated them in the final of the 2015 J1 League Championship. This was Gamba's 6th appearance in the Super Cup, however they were unable to build on their previous victories in 2007 and 2015 and lost 3–1. Trailing 2–0 due to early second half goals from Satō and Asano, top scorer of the previous 3 campaigns Takashi Usami pulled one back, however Utaka added a third for Hiroshima shortly afterwards to seal the win.http://www.jleague.jp/en/match/fxsc/2016/022001/live/#live JFA Japanese Super Cup 2016 Match Report JFA 21 February 2016 Later on in the season, Gamba entered the 2016 J.League Cup and 2016 Emperor's Cup. Due to their AFC Champions League commitments, they were given a bye past the J.League Cup group stage and entered in the quarter-finals.http://www.jleague.jp/en/match/search/ync/week/ JFA J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Schedule and Results JFA 21 February 2016 Similarly they entered the Emperor's Cup in the 4th round.http://www.jleague.jp/en/match/search/emperor/week/ JFA Emperor's Cup Schedule and Results JFA 21 February 2016 They went all the way to the final of the J.League cup for the 3rd time in a row, however they lost out to the Urawa Red Diamonds in a penalty shoot-out. In the Emperor's Cup, they bowed out to Yokohama F. Marinos in the quarter-finals meaning that this would be their first season without any silverware since 2012. This was Gamba's first season playing at the newly opened Suita City Football Stadium which was built in the same park as Osaka Expo '70 Stadium, their home from 1980–2015.http://stadiumdb.com/stadiums/jpn/suita_city_stadium Suita City Football Stadium (Gamba Osaka Stadium) Stadium DB 21 February 2016 The first official game to be held in the new stadium was on 14 February 2016, the pre-season Panasonic Cup match between Gamba and Nagoya Grampus which the home side won 3–1.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/no/3963/ Panasonic Cup Match Report Gamba Osaka 21 February 2016 The first league match was held in front of 32,463 spectators on 28 February against Kashima Antlers. It resulted in a 1–0 defeat against the team which went on to win the first stage of the 2016 J1 League The move to the new stadium was a huge success in terms of increasing attendance with average league attendances increasing from 15,999 in 2015 to 25,342 in 2016. Transfers Coming off the back of a draining 2015 season which saw them play 60 games in all competitions, Gamba sought to add depth to their squad. In came experienced former Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus, Yokohama F. Marinos and Japan national team midfielder Jungo Fujimoto to compete for a right-wing slot with Hiroyuki Abe and Kotaro Omori.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/c/0/no/3838/ Jungo Fujimoto signing ニュースリリース Gamba Osaka 11 January 2016 21 February 2016 ja Ademilson who had spent the previous campaign as Fujimoto's teammate in Yokohama, moved west to Osaka on a season-long loan deal from São Paulo FC in his homeland. He is expected to battle with Shu Kurata for a place playing just off target-man Patric.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/c/0/no/3833/ Ademilson signing ニュースリリース Gamba Osaka 8 January 2016 21 February 2016 ja In addition, Hiroto Goya, a prolific scorer at varsity level for Kwansei Gakuin University signed up for his first shot at professional football and two youngsters, Hiroki Noda and Kazunari Ichimi joined from Otsu High School in Kumamoto Prefecture. Noda, a native of Kumamoto has actually turned out for his local side Roasso Kumamoto on 5 occasions over the previous 2 seasons despite his tender age of just 18.http://www2.gamba-osaka.net/club/index.html Gamba Osaka 2016 Squad Announcement Gamba Osaka 21 February 2016 ja There were fewer departures than arrivals during the close season and crucially no starting-eleven members from the previous year were amongst those to leave. Veteran midfielder Tomokazu Myojin made a surprising move to Nagoya Grampus aged 38, following 10 years of sterling service to the club.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/no/3820/ Tomokazu Myojin Departure ニュースリリース Gamba Osaka 6 January 2016 21 February 2016 ja Brazilian attacker Lins was also released. A promising debut season in 2014 which saw him net 8 times in 39 games including several crucial late winners gave way to a disappointing 2015 in which he started only 8 games and could only net 4 goals in 36 games in all competitions, therefore it was no surprise when his departure was announced.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/no/3813 Lins Departure ニュースリリース Gamba Osaka 2 January 2016 21 February 2016 ja Finally, Shingo Akamine a close-season signing from Vegalta Sendai the previous year and who, like Lins had endured a frustrating 2015, announced he would be joining J2 side Fagiano Okayama on loan for 2016.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/no/3828/ Shingo Akamine Departure ニュースリリース Gamba Osaka 7 January 2016 21 February 2016 ja In addition to those main transfers; Kenya Okazaki, Naoki Ogawa and Shōhei Ogura rejoined the club following loan spells at Ehime FC, Fujieda MYFC and Montedio Yamagata respectively while Yuto Uchida who spent the 2015 season with Tokushima Vortis made his loan move into a permanent one.http://www.jleague.jp/en/club/tokushima/player/detail/1200337/ Yuto Uchida JFA Player Profile JFA 21 February 2016 In the summer transfer window, the big news was the departure of star attacker Takashi Usami to German Bundesliga side Augsburg. The move came 3 years after Usami had returned to Gamba following spells abroad with Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim. He had finished as the club's leading goalscorer in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and was again leading the Gamba goalscoring charts with 6 goals at the time of his departure.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/no/4470/ Gamba Osaka News Usami to Augsburg Gamba Osaka 20 June 2016 20 June 2016 Veteran midfielder Takahiro Futagawa, who had spent most of the first half of the season with Gamba's Under-23 side in J3, also moved on and joined Tokyo Verdy on loan for the remaining six months of the campaign.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/no/4508/ Gamba Osaka News Futagawa to Tokyo Verdy Gamba Osaka 28 June 2016 28 June 2016 Brazilian forward Patric, who had endured a hugely disappointing campaign, injured his knee in October and was released by the club in order to complete his rehabilitation in his native country.http://www.gamba-osaka.net/news/index/no/5047/ Gamba Osaka News: Patric leaves team due to injury Gamba Osaka 21 October 2016 21 October 2016 Also in October, Patric's compatriot, Ademilson, turned his loan move from São Paulo into a permanent one.http://www.jleague.jp/en/news/article/7214/ Gamba sign Ademilson J.League English site 14 October 2016 21 October 2016 In No. Squad Number Pos Position PlayerTransferred FromFeeDateSource 9 FW FW BRA Ademilson BRA São PauloLoan8 Jan 17 MF MF JPN Kenya Okazaki JPN Ehime FCLoan Return17 Jan 23 FW FW JPN Hiroto Goya JPN Kwansei Gakuin UniversityUnknown17 Jan 24 FW FW JPN Naoki Ogawa JPN Fujieda MYFCLoan Return17 Jan 25 MF MF JPN Jungo Fujimoto JPN Yokohama F. MarinosUnknown11 Jan 32 DF DF JPN Hiroki Noda JPN Ohzu High SchoolUnknown17 Jan 33 FW FW JPN Kazunari Ichimi JPN Ohzu High SchoolUnknown17 Jan 40 MF MF JPN Shōhei Ogura JPN Montedio YamagataLoan Return17 Jan 9 FW FW BRA Ademilson BRA São PauloUnknown14 October Out No. Squad Number Pos Position PlayerTransferred ToFeeDateSource 9 FW FW BRA Lins ReleasedFree2 Jan 17 MF MF JPN Tomokazu Myojin JPN Nagoya GrampusUnknown6 Jan 23 DF DF JPN Yuto Uchida JPN Tokushima VortisUnknown6 Jan 24 FW FW JPN Shingo Akamine JPN Fagiano OkayamaLoan7 Jan 10 MF MF JPN Takahiro Futagawa JPN Tokyo VerdyLoan1 Jul 39 FW FW JPN Takashi Usami GER FC AugsburgUnknown1 Jul 39 FW FW BRA Patric releasedUnknown21 Oct First team squad the beginning of 2016 season. No. Name Nationality Position(s) Date of birth (age) Height (cm) Weight (kg) Since Previous club Games played Goals scored Goalkeepers 1 Masaaki Higashiguchi Japan GK 2016 12 31 1986 05 12 184 78 2014 Albirex Niigata 105 0 16 Ken Tajiri Japan GK 2016 12 31 1993 6 11 182 76 2013 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0 18 Yōsuke Fujigaya Japan GK 2016 12 31 1981 02 13 185 78 2015 Júbilo Iwata 342 0 31 Mizuki Hayashi Japan GK 2016 12 31 1996 09 04 182 74 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0 Defenders 3 Takaharu Nishino Japan CB 2016 12 31 1993 09 14 187 73 2012 Gamba Osaka Youth 66 6 4 Hiroki Fujiharu Japan LB 2016 12 31 1988 11 28 175 60 2011 Osaka University of H&SS 199 8 5 Daiki Niwa Japan CB 2016 12 31 1986 01 16 180 76 2012 Avispa Fukuoka* 137 6 6 Kim Jung-ya Japan/South Korea CB 2016 12 31 1988 05 17 183 74 2014 Sagan Tosu* 58 0 8 Keisuke Iwashita Japan CB 2016 12 31 1986 09 24 181 76 2012 Shimizu S-Pulse 117 5 14 Koki Yonekura Japan RB 2016 12 31 1988 05 17 176 68 2014 JEF United 84 7 22 Oh Jae-suk South Korea RB / LB 2016 12 31 1990 01 04 178 74 2013 South Korea Gangwon FC 64 0 30 So Hirao Japan RB 2016 12 31 1996 7 1 170 68 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 2 0 32 Hiroki Noda Japan CB 2016 12 31 1997 7 27 181 73 2016 Otsu High School 0 0 35 Ryo Hatsuse Japan RB / LB 2016 12 31 1997 7 10 175 64 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0 Midfielders 7 Yasuhito Endō (c) Japan CM / AM 2016 12 31 1980 1 28 178 75 2001 Kyoto Purple Sanga 614 118 10 Takahiro Futagawa Japan RM / LM 2016 12 31 1980 06 27 168 63 1999 Gamba Osaka Youth 598 87 11 Shu Kurata Japan RW / LW / AM 2016 12 31 1988 11 26 172 68 2012 Cerezo Osaka* 204 36 13 Hiroyuki Abe Japan RW 2016 12 31 1989 07 05 170 69 2012 Kwansei Gakuin University 154 26 15 Yasuyuki Konno Japan CB / DM 2016 12 31 1983 01 25 178 73 2012 FC Tokyo 173 14 17 Kenya Okazaki Japan CM / RM / LM 2016 12 31 1990 05 31 173 62 2016 Ehime FC* 29 2 19 Kotaro Omori Japan RW / LW 2016 12 31 1992 04 28 167 63 2011 Gamba Osaka Youth 111 14 21 Yosuke Ideguchi Japan CM 2016 12 31 1996 08 23 171 69 2014 Gamba Osaka Youth 22 0 25 Jungo Fujimoto Japan RW 2016 12 31 1984 03 24 173 69 2016 Yokohama F. Marinos 0 0 26 Naoya Senoo Japan LB / LM 2016 12 31 1996 08 15 172 60 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 1 0 27 Tatsuya Uchida Japan CB / DM 2016 12 31 1992 02 08 177 70 2011 Gamba Osaka Youth 70 1 28 Shota Yomesaka Japan CB / LB / LM 2016 12 31 1996 10 19 177 67 2014 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0 36 Mizuki Ichimaru Japan CM / RM 2016 12 31 1997 05 08 174 66 2016 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0 38 Ritsu Doan Japan RM / LM 2016 12 31 1998 06 16 172 70 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 4 0 40 Shōhei Ogura Japan RB / CB / DM 2016 12 31 1985 09 08 174 67 2015 Yokohama F. Marinos 10 0 Strikers9Ademilson Brazil AM / CF 2016 12 31 1994 1 9 176 74 2016 Brazil São Paulo (loan) 0 0 20 Shun Nagasawa Japan CF 2016 12 31 1988 8 25 192 82 2015 Shimizu S-Pulse 11 5 23 Hiroto Goya Japan CF 2016 12 31 1994 1 2 177 68 2016 Kwansei Gakuin University 0 0 24 Naoki Ogawa Japan AM / CF 2016 12 31 1995 7 3 168 62 2016 Fujieda MYFC* 3 1 29 Patric Brazil CF 2016 12 31 1987 10 26 189 82 2014 Brazil Atlético Goianiense 82 36 33 Kazunari Ichimi Japan CF 2016 12 31 1997 11 10 183 74 2016 Otsu High School 0 0 37 Akito Takagi Japan CF 2016 12 31 1997 8 4 175 68 2016 Gamba Osaka Youth 1 0 39 Takashi Usami Japan LW / AM / CF 2016 12 31 1992 5 6 178 69 2013 Germany Hoffenheim* 172 86 * indicates player returned to Gamba Osaka from a loan spell with this club. Pre-season friendlies DateOpponentsH / AResultF-AScorersAttendance14 February 2016Nagoya GrampusH3–1o.g. 26', Konno 36', Niwa 66'35,231 Japanese Super Cup As winners of the 2015 Emperor's Cup, Gamba squared off against reigning J1 League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Nissan Stadium, Yokohama. The match ended up in a 3–1 defeat for Gamba, with Hisato Satō opening the scoring for Sanfrecce in the 52nd minute and Takuma Asano adding a second from the penalty spot 5 minutes later. Takashi Usami pulled a goal back for Gamba in the 68th minute but it wasn't enough as Sanfrecce's new Nigerian signing Peter Utaka wrapped up the game with 17 minutes remaining. The result means that Gamba have now won just 2 of their 6 appearances in the Japanese Super Cup with victories in 2007 and 2015 and defeats in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2016. One other point to note is that this game saw the competitive debuts in a Gamba shirt for attacking midfielders Ademilson and Jungo Fujimoto, both of whom joined from Yokohama F. Marinos in the close season. DateOpponentsH / AResultF-AScorersAttendance20 February 2016Sanfrecce HiroshimaN1–3Usami 68'33,805 J1 League First Stage The first half of the 2016 J1 League season was a disappointing one for Gamba and ended up in a 6th-place finish. Results were wildly inconsistent with 7 wins 3 draws and 7 defeats. Goalscoring was a real issue, especially early on, with only 9 goals in their first 10 games. They also failed to score more than once in 11 out of their 17 games. In gameweeks 11–17, which followed their AFC Champions League exit, matches featured higher scoring outcomes and a change in defensive patterns compared with earlier in the season. This was illustrated by consecutive 3–3 home draws against Shonan Bellmare and Nagoya Grampus. In terms of team selection, the early weeks of the season where Gamba had to balance J1 League and Champions League commitments saw coach Kenta Hasegawa rotate his squad a lot. The full back and attacking midfield berths saw the most instability. While an injury to South Korean full-back Oh Jae-suk and the game time allowed to youngster Ryo Hatsuse with Gamba's Under-23 side in J3 saw Koki Yonekura and Hiroki Fujiharu become the established right-back and left-back respectively, the strongest combination of attacking midfielders in the favoured 4–2–3–1 formation was never determined. Takashi Usami, Shu Kurata, Hiroyuki Abe and Kotaro Omori had all been retained from the previous year, where the latter 3 tended to be rotated. However, the close-season signings of Ademilson and Jungo Fujimoto from Yokohama F. Marinos gave Gamba excessive depth in that area. Ademilson acquitted himself well with 4 goals which came both from attacking midfield and also centre-forward, however Fujimoto struggled to establish himself and had to turn out occasionally for Gamba U-23 to get game time after Gamba's Champions League elimination. Returning to the theme of goalscoring, perhaps the biggest concern from the first half of the season was the poor goal return of Patric who failed to find the target in 13 appearances. Following two goal-laden seasons in which he and Usami had scored 50 goals between them, they could only muster 6 goals during the first 17 games of this campaign. Indeed, Patric often found himself playing off the bench with his compatriot Ademilson or the tall Shun Nagasawa starting in his place. In light of this, Usami's departure for Germany in mid-season would prove to be a major worry for Gamba going forward. Results RoundDateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendanceLeagueposition128 February 2016Kashima AntlersH0–132,46313th26 March 2016Ventforet KofuA1–0Nagasawa 36'14,10312th311 March 2016Omiya ArdijaH2–1Konno 49', Abe 60'20,5354th419 March 2016Vissel KobeA1–2Kim 84'16,0267th52 April 2016Yokohama F. MarinosH1–2Ademilson 19'34,23112th610 April 2016Vegalta SendaiA3–1Nagasawa 5', Usami 14', Ademilson 15'18,0118th715 April 2016Kashiwa ReysolH0–113,7318th824 April 2016Avispa FukuokaA1–0Usami 79'18,5088th929 April 2016Kawasaki FrontaleH0–133,9419th108 May 2016Albirex NiigataA0–027,43910th1113 May 2016Júbilo IwataH2–1Ademilson 45', Endō 66'17,2998th1221 May 2016Sanfrecce HiroshimaA3–1Ademilson 23', Kurata 64', Nagasawa 82'17,2206th1329 May 2016FC TokyoA0–137,8058th1411 June 2016Shonan BellmareH3–3Konno 45'+2, Iwashita 58', Usami 82'22,2578th1515 June 2016Urawa Red DiamondsH1–0Usami 8'29,3976th1618 June 2016Sagan TosuA1–2Usami 44'14,4506th1725 June 2016Nagoya GrampusH3–3Abe 45', Kim 54', Konno 87'33,5466th Match Day Line-Ups The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 J1 League First Stage: Player Appearances – 2016 J1 League First Stage Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM CF 1 Kashima Antlers Higashiguchi Yonekura6px Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Fujimoto Omori Ademilson Nagasawa Kurata6px Ideguchi Usami 2 Ventforet Kofu Higashiguchi Oh Hatsuse Konno Kim Endō Uchida Abe Usami Kurata6px Nagasawa Omori Ideguchi Goya 3 Omiya Ardija Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Konno Kim Endō Ideguchi6px Abe Omori Usami Nagasawa Kurata Goya Fujimoto 4 Vissel Kobe Higashiguchi Hatsuse Fujiharu Konno Kim Endō Uchida6px Abe Usami Kurata Nagasawa6px Ademilson Ideguchi6px Patric 5 Yokohama F. Marinos Higashiguchi Yonekura6px Fujiharu Konno Kim Endō Ideguchi Ademilson Usami Kurata Patric6px Goya Hatsuse 6 Vegalta Sendai Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō6px Konno Abe Usami Ademilson Nagasawa6px Kurata Omori Ogura 7 Kashiwa Reysol Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa6px Kim Endō Konno Abe Usami Ademilson Nagasawa Kurata Omori Patric 8 Avispa Fukuoka Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Kurata Goya Patric Fujimoto Usami 9 Kawasaki Frontale Higashiguchi Hatsuse Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Usami Kurata Patric6px Nagasawa Goya Fujimoto 10 Albirex Niigata Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita6px Endō Konno Abe6px Usami Ademilson Nagasawa Kurata Ideguchi Patric 11 Júbilo Iwata Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita6px Ideguchi6px Konno Ademilson Usami Endō6px Patric Kim Kurata Fujimoto 12 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita Endō Konno Ademilson Usami Kurata Patric Omori Nagasawa Ogura 13 FC Tokyo Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita Endō Konno6px Ademilson Usami Kurata Patric Omori Goya Fujimoto 14 Shonan Bellmare Higashiguchi Yonekura6px Fujiharu Niwa6px Iwashita Endō Konno6px Ademilson Usami Kurata Patric Omori Goya Fujimoto 15 Urawa Red Diamonds Higashiguchi Niwa Fujiharu Kim Iwashita Ideguchi Konno Abe Usami Endō Ademilson Kurata Patric 16 Sagan Tosu Higashiguchi Niwa Fujiharu Kim Iwashita Ideguchi6px Konno Abe Usami Endō Ademilson Kurata Yonekura Patric 17 Nagoya Grampus Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Usami Kurata Patric Ademilson Omori Ideguchi = Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, 13px = Yellow Card and 13px = Red Card. J1 League Second Stage Freed from Asian Champions League commitments, Gamba performed much better during the second stage of the 2016 J1 League season finishing with a record of 10 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats which saw them come home in 4th place in both the second stage and overall league tables. Impressive away victories over Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale bookended what was a half of the season largely full of positives. The mid-season departure of Takashi Usami was not felt as keenly as first feared with the team netting 31 times in 17 games, Shun Nagasawa found the back of the net 6 times, Ademilson 5 and impressive central-midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, buoyed by his appearance in the Olympics provided 4 in what was a great overall team effort. The only negatives were the disappointing 0–0 draw at home to league whipping boys Avispa Fukuoka, the painful 1–0 derby defeat against Vissel Kobe in which Ademilson missed a penalty which would have salvaged a draw and also the chastening 4–0 reverse away to second stage champions Urawa Red Diamonds. Gamba's 4th-place finish in the overall standings left them waiting on the result of the Emperor's Cup to know whether or not they had qualified for the following season's Champions League. RoundDateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendanceLeagueposition182 July 2016Kashima AntlersA3–1Omori 26', Konno 60', Kim 73'21,5245th199 July 2016Vegalta SendaiH3–1Yonekura 14', Patric 78', 90'+219,4823rd2013 July 2016Omiya ArdijaA0–09,8734th2117 July 2016Avispa FukuokaH0–023,5404th2223 July 2016Kashiwa ReysolA2–3Ademilson 16', Nakatani o.g. 23'13,8087th2330 July 2016Sanfrecce HiroshimaH1–0Abe 52'32,4446th246 August 2016Sagan TosuH2–1Fujita o.g. 61', Nagasawa 90'+217,3554th2513 August 2016Júbilo IwataA2–0Ademilson 57', Nagasawa 83'23,1443rd2620 August 2016Vissel KobeH0–126,5204th2727 August 2016Shonan BellmareA2–1Nagasawa 26', 64'10,6644th2810 September 2016Ventforet KofuH2–1Nagasawa 8', Kurata 80'17,9213rd2917 September 2016Nagoya GrampusA3–1Omori 27', Ademilson 65', Ideguchi 90'+129,4812nd3025 September 2016FC TokyoH3–3Omori 15', Nagasawa 18', Fujiharu 90'+130,1413rd311 October 2016Urawa Red DiamondsA0–443,4155th3222 October 2016Yokohama F. MarinosA2–2Ideguchi 45'+1, 88'38,3804th3329 October 2016Albirex NiigataH3–1Ademilson 5', Endō (pen.) 60', Goya 90'+826,0034th343 November 2016Kawasaki FrontaleA3–2Fujiharu 65', Ideguchi 66', Ademilson 76'25,6944th Match Day Line-Ups The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 J1 League Second Stage: Player appearances – 2016 J1 League Second Stage Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM CF 18 Kashima Antlers Higashiguchi6px Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Omori Kurata Ademilson Ideguchi Patric 19 Vegalta Sendai Higashiguchi Yonekura6px Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Omori Kurata Ademilson Ideguchi Oh Patric 20 Omiya Ardija Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Omori Kurata Patric Ademilson Ideguchi Fujimoto6px 21 Avispa Fukuoka Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita6px Ideguchi Konno Abe Kurata Endō6px Patric Ademilson Nagasawa Fujimoto 22 Kashiwa Reysol Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh6px Niwa6px Kim Endō Konno Abe Omori Kurata Ademilson6px Nagasawa Patric Doan 23 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Higashiguchi6px Yonekura Oh Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Kurata Ademilson Nagasawa Omori Uchida Patric 24 Sagan Tosu Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Kurata Ademilson Goya Omori Nagasawa 25 Júbilo Iwata Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Omori Kurata Ademilson Nagasawa Hatsuse Doan 26 Vissel Kobe Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Omori6px Kurata Ademilson6px Fujiharu Nagasawa6px Doan 27 Shonan Bellmare Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim6px Endō Ideguchi Omori Kurata Ademilson Nagasawa Nishino Abe Patric 28 Ventforet Kofu Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim6px Endō Ideguchi Abe Kurata Ademilson Nagasawa Konno Omori Goya 29 Nagoya Grampus Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Ideguchi6px Omori Kurata Ademilson Nagasawa Nishino Yonekura Konno 30 FC Tokyo Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim6px Ideguchi Konno Omori Kurata Ademilson Nagasawa Endō Goya Fujimoto 31 Urawa Red Diamonds Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Nishino Endō6px Ideguchi Kurata Omori Ademilson6px Nagasawa Konno Goya Fujimoto6px 32 Yokohama F. Marinos Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh6px Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Fujimoto Omori Endō Goya6px Fujiharu Kurata Nagasawa 33 Albirex Niigata Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu6px Iwashita6px Kim Ideguchi Konno Fujimoto Kurata Endō Ademilson Abe Omori Goya 34 Kawasaki Frontale Higashiguchi Oh6px Fujiharu Iwashita Kim Ideguchi Konno6px Kurata Omori Endō Ademilson Abe Goya = Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, 13px = Yellow Card and 13px = Red Card. AFC Champions League Gamba were drawn in Group G along with Australian side Melbourne Victory, Korean outfit Suwon Samsung Bluewings and China's Shanghai SIPG. It was to prove a disappointing campaign for them culminating in an exit at the group stage, a strong contrast with the previous season's run to the semi-finals. An inability to find the back of the net which had plagued their early form in J1 also proved to be their downfall in the Champions League with only 4 goals scored in 6 games. Draws in their opening two games away to Samsung and at home to Melbourne were to prove the high points as they were followed by a run of four defeats in a row, three of which came by a solitary goal. As it happened, Sven-Göran Eriksson's Shanghai side ran out group winners with 12 points, 3 ahead of both Melbourne and Samsung on 9. It was Melbourne who advanced with them, with their final round win over a largely second string Gamba side giving them the points they required to overtake Suwon due to having a better head-to-head record in matches played between the two sides. Gamba finished fourth and last in the group. Results RoundDateOpponentsH / AResultF–AScorersAttendanceLeagueposition124 February 2016Samsung BluewingsA0–09,9472nd= 22 March 2016Melbourne VictoryH1–1Endō 57'14,2703rd315 March 2016Shanghai SIPGA1–2Patric 60'29,0053rd46 April 2016Shanghai SIPGH0–214,7564th519 April 2016Samsung BluewingsH1–2Konno 89'10,8464th63 May 2016Melbourne VictoryA1–2Ademilson 84'10,1474th Match Day Line-Ups The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 AFC Champions League: Player Appearances – 2016 AFC Champions League Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM CF 1 Samsung Bluewings Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Abe Usami Kurata Patric Endō Yonekura Nagasawa 2 Melbourne Victory Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Konno Kim Ideguchi Endō Abe Usami Kurata Patric Ademilson Omori 3 Shanghai SIPG Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Konno Kim Ideguchi6px Endō Abe Omori Usami Patric Kurata Yonekura Fujimoto 4 Shanghai SIPG Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Konno Kim Ideguchi Endō Ademilson Usami Kurata Patric6px Nishino Nagasawa Fujimoto 5 Samsung Bluewings Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Konno6px Endō Fujimoto Usami Ademilson Nagasawa Kurata Yonekura Patric 6 Melbourne Victory Fujigaya Yonekura Hatsuse Niwa Iwashita6px Ideguchi Uchida Fujimoto Omori Ademilson Nagasawa6px Futagawa Goya Doan = Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, 13px = Yellow Card and 13px = Red Card. J.League Cup As a result of their qualification for the AFC Champions League, Gamba were given a bye into the quarter-finals of the League Cup, where they were paired against Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a two-legged encounter. A 1–1 draw in Hiroshima was followed by an emphatic 6–3 home win for Gamba which saw them qualify for the semi-finals and a tie against Yokohama F. Marinos in October. The first leg, held in Osaka, finished 0–0 and the second leg was also a draw, this time 1–1 which saw Gamba through on away goals and paved the way for a 3rd league cup final appearance in 3 years. The final was played against Urawa Red Diamonds at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Saturday 15 October 2016. A solo run by Ademilson gave Gamba a first half lead which lasted until the 76th minute when Tadanari Lee's header squared things up. Extra-time followed and Gamba came agonisingly close to netting the winner in the 120th minute when Hiroto Goya's shot was deflected past the goalkeeper and onto the post, it then proceeded to roll along the goal line before being swept to safety by Urawa defender Ryota Moriwaki. It was perhaps an omen as following 3 successful penalty kicks for each side, Goya had his spot-kick saved by Shusaku Nishikawa. This proved to be the decisive miss as the Reds netted all of their penalties and went on to win the shootout 5–4. This was Gamba's 5th appearance in the J.League Cup final and their 3rd in as many years. To date they have lifted the trophy twice, in 2007 and 2014 with this defeat being their 3rd defeat in the final, following reverses in 2005 and 2015. RoundDateOpponentsH / AResultF-AScorersAttendanceQF31 August 2016Sanfrecce HiroshimaA1–1Goya 86'5,529QF4 September 2016Sanfrecce HiroshimaH6–3Nagasawa 32', 45'+2, Niwa 55', Ademilson 60', 63', Abe 71'12,977SF5 October 2016Yokohama F. MarinosH0–011,160SF9 October 2016Yokohama F. MarinosA1–1Endō 63'19,378F15 October 2016Urawa Red DiamondsN1-1aet 4-5pensAdemilson 17'51,248 Match Day Line-Ups The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 J.League Cup: Player Appearances – 2016 J.League Cup Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM FW QF Sanfrecce Hiroshima Fujigaya Yonekura6px Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Kurata Abe6px Omori Fujimoto Patric Nagasawa Goya Uchida QF Sanfrecce Hiroshima Fujigaya Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Endō Abe Omori Ademilson Nagasawa Kurata Goya Fujimoto SF Yokohama F. Marinos Fujigaya Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi6px Konno Fujimoto6px Omori Kurata6px Patric Ademilson Goya SF Yokohama F. Marinos Fujigaya Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Fujimoto Kurata Endō Ademilson Iwashita Omori Nagasawa F Urawa Red Diamonds Higashiguchi6px Yonekura Fujiharu6px Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Kurata Omori Endō6px Ademilson Nagasawa6px Goya Fujimoto = Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, 13px = Yellow Card and 13px = Red Card. Emperor's Cup Gamba began their defence of the title they've won for the past 2 seasons at home to J2 side Shimizu S-Pulse on November 9.http://www.jleague.jp/en/news/article/7105/ Draw for final stages of Emperor's Cup announced J.League English Site 5 October 2016 5 October 2016 Shun Nagasawa's strike in extra time was enough to see them through to the quarter-finals where they were paired with Yokohama F. Marinos in what would be the 5th meeting of the season between the two teams. Having already drawn twice at Nissan Stadium earlier in the season, this was once again a tight affair with Manabu Saitō putting the Marinos ahead from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute only for Yasuyuki Konno to seemingly send the tie into extra time with an 87th-minute equaliser. Unfortunately for Gamba, Jun Amano had other ideas and his 96th-minute strike from outside the box sent them through to the semi-finals and left Gamba hoping Kashima or Kawasaki would lift the cup to ensure their progression to the 2017 Asian Champions League. RoundDateOpponentsH / AResultF-AScorersAttendance4th round9 November 2016Shimizu S-PulseH1–0 aetNagasawa 112'8,789QF24 December 2016Yokohama F. MarinosA1–2Konno 87'21,898 Match Day Line-Ups The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 Emperor's Cup: Player Appearances – 2016 Emperor's Cup Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM FW 4R Shimizu S-Pulse Fujigaya Oh Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita Endō Konno Doan Kurata Ademilson6px Goya6px Abe Nagasawa6px Hatsuse QF Yokohama F. Marinos Fujigaya Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Kurata Fujimoto Endō6px Ademilson Omori Nagasawa Hatsuse = Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, 13px = Yellow Card and 13px = Red Card. Squad statistics No.Pos.NameLeagueEmperor's CupJ.League CupChampions LeagueSuper CupTotalDisciplineAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals13px13px1GKJPN Masaaki Higashiguchi34000105010410303DFJPN Takaharu Nishino1(2)000000(1)0001(3)0004DFJPN Hiroki Fujiharu27(2)22050501040(2)2205DFJPN Daiki Niwa28020513010391406DFKOR Kim Jung-ya27(1)31050500038(1)3307MFJPN Yasuhito Endō (c)33(1)220314(1)11043(2)4608DFJPN Keisuke Iwashita101100(1)0100012(1)1509FWBRA Ademilson24(5)9203(1)33(1)11033(7)133110MFJPN Takahiro Futagawa 0000000(1)0000(1)00011MFJPN Shu Kurata25(9)2204(1)03(2)00(1)034(13)23013MFJPN Hiroyuki Abe21(3)30(1)021301027(4)42014DFJPN Koki Yonekura19(2)100503(2)00027(4)15015MFJPN Yasuyuki Konno30(3)42130511041(3)64016GKJPN Ken Tajiri0000000000000017MFJPN Kenya Okazaki0000000000000018GKJPN Yōsuke Fujigaya0020401000700019MFJPN Kotaro Omori13(11)30(1)04(1)02(1)00019(14)31020FWJPN Shun Nagasawa13(8)90(2)11(3)22(2)00(1)016(16)126021MFJPN Yosuke Ideguchi14(8)41050501026(8)47022DFKOR Oh Jae-suk17(1)02000401024(1)03023FWJPN Hiroto Goya3(11)1100(4)10(1)0004(16)21124FWJPN Naoki Ogawa0000000000000025MFJPN Jungo Fujimoto3(10)0103(2)02(2)00(1)09(15)03026MFJPN Naoya Senoo0000000000000027MFJPN Tatsuya Uchida2(1)0000(1)010003(2)01028MFJPN Shota Yomesaka0000000000000029FWBRA Patric10(10)200204(1)11017(11)33030DFJPN So Hirao0000000000000031GKJPN Mizuki Hayashi0000000000000032DFJPN Hiroki Noda0000000000000033FWJPN Kazunari Ichimi0000000000000035DFJPN Ryo Hatsuse3(2)00(2)00010004(4)00036MFJPN Mizuki Ichimaru0000000000000037FWJPN Akito Takagi0000000000000038MFJPN Ritsu Doan0(3)010000(1)0001(4)00039FWJPN Takashi Usami15(2)50000501121(2)60040MFJPN Shōhei Ogura0(2)0000000000(2)000——Own goals–2–0–0–0–0–2–– Statistics accurate as of match played on 24 December 2016.2016 Gamba Osaka Season Statistics http://www.flashscore.com/team/g-osaka/zLQAGOBK/ flashscore.com 26 January 2016 1 December 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151201032520/http://www.flashscore.com/team/g-osaka/zLQAGOBK/ dead 2016 Gamba Osaka Team Profile https://int.soccerway.com/teams/japan/gamba-osaka/1327/ soccerway.com 26 January 2016 References 30em Gamba Osaka Category:Gamba Osaka seasons