AFC Champions League Two - Mito: Gamba striving for perfection

Nam Dinh: Matchwinner Rin Mito does not want to see Gamba Osaka’s momentum in the AFC Champions League Two™ 2025/26 come to a halt despite being the first team to secure a place in the Round of 16.

Mito nodded home the only goal of the match after eight minutes in the win against Vietnam’s Nam Dinh FC on Wednesday to take the Japanese side up to 12 points in Group F, assuring them of a top two finish regardless of results in the remaining matches.

#ACLTwo | Group F: Nam Dinh FC (VIE) 0-1 Gamba Osaka (JPN)

With matches against Eastern FC of Hong Kong and Thailand’s Ratchaburi FC still to come, Mito expects Gamba to maintain their standard in search of a perfect group stage campaign.

"It was a difficult game, but I'm glad we all came out victorious. The ball came to me in a really good spot and all I had to do was get my head to it and I was really happy that it went in.

“Even though we have qualified, we will still approach the remaining games in the same way and look for more victories.”

Defeat at home was exacerbated further by Ratchaburi’s 7-0 win against Eastern, leaving Nam Dinh ahead of the Thai side by goal difference as head coach Andre Lima lamented the Vietnamese side’s inability to put away their chances.

“It’s hard to say we were better than someone but ended up losing the game, however, that’s how I felt the game went,” said Lima.

“If you see the performance, the fans and staff can be proud of what we showed today. We tried to win, not play for the draw. We missed more chances than them.”

Nam Dinh and Ratchaburi face off on Matchday Five on November 27 with the winners likely to join Gamba in the knockout stage.

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