Adelaide United has a tough job ahead of it in the Asian Champions League final after going down 3-0 to Gamba Osaka in the first leg in Japan.
Gamba dominated the opening period and Lucas gave the hosts a deserved lead after 37 minutes before setting up Yasuhito Endo to net the second two minutes before the break.
Adelaide pressed for a breakthrough in the second half but its hopes were effectively killed off when Michihiro Yasuda volleyed home a third in the 68th minute to leave Aurelio Vidmar’s side facing an enormous task in the return encounter next week if it is to become the first Australian side to taste continental glory.
Gamba held the upper hand during the opening 45 minutes with Adelaide’s Eugene Galekovic much the busier of the two goalkeepers.
And it was no surprise when Lucas put the Japanese side ahead as half-time approached.
Takahiro Futagawa picked out the Brazilian striker with a precise pass but the chance seemed to be lost as, with defender Angelo Costanzo in attendance, he dallied on the ball having made his way into the box.
However, a handy deflection off Costanzo took Lucas’ effort beyond Galekovic and into the back of the net.
Gamba then doubled its advantage in the 43rd minute as Hayato Sasaki found Lucas and he quickly shifted the ball out to Endo on the left. The midfielder advanced into the box and drilled a low shot across a static Galekovic and into the far corner.
Adelaide came out in a more determined fashion after the break as it strove for the goal that would get it back into the tie.
Satoshi Yamaguchi did extremely well to block a fierce shot from Travis Dodd after 56 minutes, before Robert Cornthwaite failed to make clean contact with the Adelaide skipper’s cross from the byline and the ball eventually floated over the bar following a mad scramble.
It got worse for Reds after 68 minutes. Sasa Ognenovski deflected Lucas’ effort behind but from Endo’s corner, Yasuda volleyed through a crowd of players from the edge of the box and the ball nestled in the back of the net.
Adelaide was then handed a double reprieve in stoppage time as first Galekovic only saw yellow for bringing down Roni on the edge of the area when the Brazilian was clean through on goal.
Endo then curled the free-kick into the far corner but it was ruled out for an infringement in the box.
Vidmar was disappointed in lapses of concentration and a poor first-half effort.
“The scoreline is pretty bad for us,” he said.
“It was two square balls across the middle of the park that cost us and that-s something we haven-t done in a very long time.”
“I think we were a little bit timid in the first half, but in the second half I can-t fault their effort … but its going to be very difficult for us next week.”
“But you never know what can happen in football, there-s still 90 minutes we still had some decent play in front of our goal in that second half … we-ll see how we go”
