Brazilian forward Rafael Silva came off the bench to strike a last-gasp winner as 10-man Albirex Niigata edged holders Gamba Osaka 2-1 in the first leg of their Nabisco Cup semifinal on Wednesday night.

Gamba took the lead through Kotaro Omori before Kosuke Yamamoto made it all square with a fine effort nine minutes before halftime at the Big Swan.

Niigata striker Leo Silva was dismissed midway through the second half but his namesake snatched victory in the 90th minute.