86_86638 and Fukuoka Hornets ended with a score of 1-0. In the third round, he defeated the Fukuoka Hornets, a team with a higher level than him, and successfully entered the fourth round.

An unexpected sneak goal, combined with a smothering opponent, is not a beautiful way to win. But the fact that the team can win and beat the J2 team is enough to make the players very happy. Especially in this game, although there were few goals, the cooperation of Gao Shunyao, Frank, and Omae Genji was commendable, which also made all three of them pay attention after the game.

Compared to Kazuya Yamamura, who successfully led the team to organize a defensive system in the midfield, the trio who were able to break through the J2 team's door in the front court was more valued, and the attention they received after beating the J2 team was different from that of the JFL League, and they are now considered to be famous.

"Even though we were bored with the whole game, we still managed to win. And our players are still getting attention, so what's not to be satisfied with? ”

After the game, Yuji Nakano was also quite satisfied, and he didn't take his ugly style of play to heart at all. Although the JFL and J2 leagues are only one level difference, it is the difference between professional and amateur. The strength of professional teams is much better than that of amateur teams, and this is something that everyone has to admit. A low-level team can beat a high-level team is always noticeable, this time in the third round of the Emperor's Cup, all the winners of the second round except Matsumoto Yamamasa defeated his opponent Shonan Bima on penalties, only the University of Distribution and Economics won one game, and the other 14 teams that advanced were all eliminated in this round.

It is precisely because of the large gap that this promotion is particularly valuable.

"After this promotion, I'm afraid that the whole of Japan will know what our strength is."

In the locker room, the players celebrated the team's upset defeat to the Fukuoka Hornets of the J2 League. After this match, they were once again the team to be watched in Japan. It's just that this result also makes the players a little worried, and they will be noticed by the opponents in the next round in the next game.

"What are you afraid of, our opponent in the next round should be a J1 team, and at this level, it will not be easy for us to win. If you can really get the attention of a J1 team, it's worth it. ”

In this regard, Yusuke Higa is very open-minded. After all, the J1 level is a team that is two levels higher than them, and it may not matter whether they expose themselves or not.

After all, the stronger the team, the less likely it is that the weak will beat the strong. In the third round of the game, there were only two J2 teams that lost, and the difference in strength was already quite obvious, and then to the J1 level opponent, I am afraid that the strength gap is even greater, and small tricks may not be easy to use.

It's just that, as the players said, it is not easy to reach the fourth round, and if they can still enter the eyes of the J1 team and let them mention the names of their players in the pre-match preparations, there is nothing to be satisfied with for the players who have passed through it.

I am a challenge to skip the level, and the psychological pressure is not on my side. Therefore, after the battle with the Fukuoka Hornets, they also prepared for the next round with considerable ease.

This lasted for a long time, and it wasn't until the results of the fourth-round draw came out and Yuji Nakano walked into the locker room with the results of the fourth-round draw that things changed.

"Coach, who is our opponent in the fourth round? We were, yes, luckily, Sapporo Gonza, how? Or is our opponent not weak? ”

When I saw the coach, the players were still joking. But soon, they found out that the coach's face didn't seem to be very good. Everyone restrained a little and stopped joking, and Kazuya Yamamura also opened his mouth at this time, "Coach, who is our opponent?" It can't really be Kashima Antlers, right? ”

Kashima Antlers were last year's J-League champions and are now the team leading the standings as well. If nothing else, they will also be the league champions this season, arguably the strongest team in the J-League. Before the game, when the players joked, they also kept saying that they hoped not to meet the antlers. "It's worse than that, our opponent in the fourth round is ......" to Kazuya Yamamura's question, Yuji Nakano could only smile bitterly, "Gamba Osaka." ”

Yuji Nakano read out the opponent's name, and this name also made the players in front of him all silent.

The laughter and laughter just now seemed to disappear in an instant, and no one expected that their opponent in the Emperor's Cup would be such a strong opponent as Gamba Osaka.

Everyone knows that even in the same level of J1 League, the strength of the team is very different. Antlers Kashima, who is firmly in the league, and Sapporo Consadole, who have not won a game since 14 rounds in the league, are certainly not teams at the same level. And even among the strong teams in the first group of the league, Gamba Osaka is definitely the toughest opponent.

Not to mention the strength of this team, it also has enough morale and demand to win.

The team's name is gamba which means foot in Italian, so they are also known as Osaka Flying Feet - Japanese teams like to name their teams in Italian or Portuguese, and many teams are like that, and Gamba is no exception. Although this team does not have as good results in the league as Kashima Antlers and Iwata Joy, they have been doing well in recent years.

The league championship in '05, the runner-up in the League Cup, the runner-up in the Emperor's Cup in '06, the runner-up in the Super Cup, the League Cup winner in '07, the Super Cup winner, they have not broken the championship in recent years.

The team has always been known for several things: First, they are known as Inter Milan because they wear a blue-and-black striped shirt similar to Inter. Second, their strength is not bad, with Endo Hohito, who is known as Asia's No. 1 back, with the top striker in the J League, Lucas, who has been selected for the Brazilian national team and is worth nearly 20 million US dollars, and a number of good international players such as Ryo Kadi and Yasuda Polytechnic, in terms of strength, it is enough to compete with teams such as Urawa Ruby and Kashima Antlers, and it is definitely the first group army of the Japanese J League. Third, this team has a beautiful offense like mercury, but the defense is average, a team that imitates Inter Milan has not learned to defend and has played offense without a teacher, and I don't know what they think.

Defensively underdog, it has always been difficult for this team to win in the league long runs, but a good offense does give the team a pretty good cup result. In the past few years, among the Japanese teams, if you talk about league results, Kashima Antlers is absolutely unmatched: their all-round style of play is enough to ensure that they need to play hard against technical teams and play technical skills against physical teams. If you talk about the results of the foreign competition, Urawa Ruby's excellent body ensures that they are of sufficient level, and if you talk about the cup results, then Gamba is definitely the best.

This team likes to play a game rather than fight for the whole season.

And this year, their league and cup results are also similar to previous years: their league results do not seem to be very good, the league has reached 30 rounds but they are still dangling in seven or eight places, it is estimated that 34 rounds of technology, they want to reach the top three is hopeless, this result can be said to be terrible. On the other hand, however, they have done well in the AFC Champions League. They reached the AFC Champions League final, making it the second year in a row that a Japanese J-League team has reached the final. And they are facing the big dark horse of the AFC Champions League, the Australian team Adelaide United. In terms of strength, people are generally optimistic about Gamba Osaka, and if they win, it means that after last year's Urawa Ruby, this year's AFC Champions League will fall to Japan.

This also explains why they are terrible in the league: for the AFC Champions League, they have to give it their all now.

The Japanese have been more interested in playing in the AFC Champions League in the past two years, and last year's Urawa Ruby paid a lot to win the AFC Champions League - they were six points ahead of second place Gamba Osaka and 10 points ahead of third place Kashima Antlers after the 29th round last year. In order to prepare for the AFC Champions League, coupled with an injury in the back, they drew three and lost two in the last five rounds, and forcibly conceded a league championship to nine consecutive wins at the last moment, forcing Kashima Antlers to lead by two points from ten points behind. And with this example in front, this year's Osaka Gamba is also soaring in the AFC Champions League, leaving the league behind and ignoring it.

The AFC Champions League final is yet to come, and they have also ushered in the Japanese Emperor's Cup. As a J1 class, they only started playing the Emperor's Cup in the fourth round, which was their first Emperor's Cup match of the year. However, it is quite unfortunate to say that they are facing the strongest team in Asia this year.

Unfortunately, their match was on November 16 - that is, after Gamba Osaka played Adelaide United on November 5 and 12, after playing the final, and after the burden was lifted, Gamba Osaka would come back to face the University of Distribution Economics. It is impossible to expect them to be distracted by the AFC Champions League, and similarly, Gamba Osaka, who has given up the league for the AFC Champions League, will not care about their league results.

They're going to have to play against a one-sided team.

And the most unfortunate thing is that the possibility of Gamba Osaka finishing in the top three of the league this season is almost impossible. There is no such thing as the defending champions in the AFC Champions League next season, and they are more domineering than the Champions League: even if they are the champions of the AFC Champions League, they are not eligible to participate - Jeonbuk won the AFC Champions League in 06, but they did not achieve good results in the K League, so they did not reach the AFC Champions League.

Therefore, for Gamba Gamba , the top three of Japan's four AFC Champions League places have been out of the league with them, and in order to play in the AFC Champions League next season, they can only grab the Emperor's Cup. If they don't get this place, they are likely to miss the AFC Champions League as the champions of the AFC Champions League. That's an absolute shame for the team, and Gamba definitely won't want to.

A top Asian team with excellent strength, good at cup competitions, one-way battles, and determined to win - this is the opponent who is now flowing through the big face