SUITA, Osaka Pref. (Kyodo) Gamba Osaka kicked off their Asian Champions League campaign in style Tuesday with an emphatic 5-1 win at home to Melbourne Victory.
The 2008 ACL champions charged into a 3-0 lead with just 11 minutes gone courtesy of goals from Takuya Takei, Adriano and Lee Keun Ho in the Group E encounter at Expo Stadium.
Kevin Muscat pulled one back for the Australians but Takahiro Futagawa made it 4-1 midway through the second half before substitute Kim Seung Yong completed the rout with a headed fifth in injury time.
"We did well and were in control of the game after only 15 minutes," said Gamba manager Akira Nishino, whose preparations were hampered with injuries to a number of regulars.