AFC Champions League Two
Second half goals from Gaku Nawata and substitute Ryoya Yamashita gave head coach Daniel Poyatos a memorable send-off in his last match in charge, with the Japanese already qualifying for the knockout stage with two games to spare.
Thailand’s Ratchaburi qualified ahead of Vietnam’s Nam Dinh FC by scoring more goals - 15 to 14, in their six matches after both sides finished with nine points.
The match took off at a fast pace, Gamba’s Shuto Abe’s drive from the edge of the area testing keeper Kampon Phatomakkakul and Thanawat Suengchitthawon shooting wide from a similar position at the other end.
Gabriel Mutombo found the Gamba bar with his header in Ratchaburi’s second look at goal in the 18th minute. Ryotaro Meshino then had the ball in the back of the net four minutes later but the Gamba striker’s effort was ruled out for offside.
The J1 League side soon began to assert themselves, Issam Jebali’s low 18-yard strike going just past the left post and Kampon saving consecutive efforts from Nawata and Keisuke Kurokawa.
Njiva Rakotoharimalala created panic in the stands five minutes before the break when he took advantage of a Gamba defensive fumble and broke free down the centre, but the Madagascar international’s attempt from inside the area was superbly parried away by Masaaki Higashiguchi.
Jebali came close twice but his squandered efforts punctuated Gamba’s failure to take advantage of their possession upfront in the first half.
Nawata broke the deadlock eight minutes into the second half when he rose above Jesse Curran to connect with Riku Handa’s cross, heading in from close range despite Kampon’s best efforts to get a hand to the ball.
Gamba kept pressing, Kurokawa hitting the side netting from a tight angle on the left and Kampon blocking substitute Makoto Mitsuta’s deflected shot and Kanji Okunuki’s close-range attempt.
Ryoya Yamashita rattled the crossbar with a smasher in the 71st minute before the striker, who came on early in the second half, increased Gamba’s lead seven minutes later when he evaded the defence and side-footed the ball past Kampon’s outstretched arms.
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