Watched by a crowd of 12,722, River Plate took an early lead in the first half when Carlos Sánchez scored through a penalty. Their lead was extended after Gabriel Mercado also found the net in the 31st minute, and they added one further in the second half after Gonzalo Martínez made it 3–0. No further goals were scored with almost a half hour to end, consequently crowning River Plate as winners of the 2015 edition.
The J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship was established by the Japan Football Association and CONMEBOL, both the governing bodies of football in Japan and South America respectively.[2] The idea for the cup was pitched as a sporting agreement, with the aim of strengthening relations between the two associations through an annual competition. It had been held since 2008, hosted annually at the J.League Cup champion's home stadium.[3]
River Plate qualified for the match as winners of the 2014 Copa Sudamericana. They had beaten Colombian team Atlético Nacional3–1 on aggregate to win their first Copa Sudamericana.[6] They were making their first appearance in the competition, being the fourth Argentine team to play in the tournament.[7]
Both teams were midway through their respective domestic campaigns at the time of the matches. Gamba Osaka's last game before the match was against Albirex Niigata on a 2–2 draw played on 29 July 2015.[8] River Plate played on 5 August 2015 the second leg of the 2015 Copa Libertadores final against Tigres UANL. They won 3–0, winning their third Copa Libertadores.[9] Despite the importance of their previous match, River Plate would take part in the Suruga Bank Championship with mostly the same squad that had lined up for the continental meeting.[10]
Match
Summary
Carlos Sánchez was key in River Plate's victory, with two goal contributions.
River Plate kicked off at the Expo '70 Commemorative Stadium.[1] They opened the scoring to the match early in the eighth minute, when a foul committed by Yosuke Ideguchi on Nicolás Bertolo inside the area was sanctioned. Uruguayan midfielder Carlos Sánchez took care of the penalty, unleashing a strong, high shot to put his team ahead.[11] The visitors would experience a scare around the 20th minute, when goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero misjudged a bounce that went over his head.[12] The clearance fell to Gamba Osaka's Patric, but the striker hesitated, allowing Barovero to send it away following a successful retreat.[13] A half hour into the game, Sánchez found Gabriel Mercado after he sent a cross from a corner kick. The defender headed the ball over goalkeeper Yosuke Fujigaya to extend their lead. During the remainder of the half, the River Plate midfielder continued to create chances for his side. He first came close to adding one further at the 36-minute mark.[11] Minutes later, a combination with Leonel Vangioni yielded the visitors another scoring prospect, which Sebastián Driussi was unable to capitalize upon.[13] Lastly, he sent a volley into the crossbar during stoppage time.[11]
Shortly after the start of the second half, the home side had their first chance to pull one back following a run from Lins. His shot, however, went wide of the near post.[14] Seven minutes from the restart, River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo subbed in three players, two of them being Gonzalo Martínez and Leonardo Pisculichi. In the 61st minute, the latter initiated a play, during which he linked up with Mercado, who then found Martínez on his right. The attacking midfielder, after controlling the ball, curled a left-footed shot into the far corner of the net, beyond the goalkeeper's reach to make it 3–0.[11] Following the goal, Gamba Osaka would get ahold of possession, as they looked to shorten the deficit.[13] An opportunity arose for them through Patric, but Ramiro Funes Mori exerted himself to divert the ball when the Brazilian striker was about to score.[11] From the subsequent corner kick, the Brazilian striker missed a header at close range. Barovero later made three crucial saves, denying efforts from Shingo Akamine and Shu Kurata. River Plate were being outplayed on both flanks and were leaving gaps for the home team to take advantage of, as fatigue and physical exhaustion started to take their toll. Kurata had one last chance for Gamba Osaka, but his shot went wide, and the score remained.[13]
Nine named substitutes, of which up to six may be used
Post-match
River Plate's squad had travelled to San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico on 29 July for the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final, then back to Buenos Aires for the rematch, and eventually boarded their flight to Osaka for the eighth edition of the Suruga Bank Championship just 24 hours later.[15] Coach Marcelo Gallardo addressed the packed schedule after the game, highlighting: "We're happy to win another title [...] There was a risk because we were not in prime condition after traveling so far, and this match was a very important challenge. We responded once again." Regarding of the importance of the tournament, he stated: "only two South American teams have had the opportunity to win this cup in eight editions."[16]
Kenta Hasegawa was disappointed about the defeat. He argued: "We played our typical Gamba style and had some chances but we came up short [...] If we'd scored a goal in the second half when the heat slowed the opponents down, we could have added a few more goals. We didn't know if the opponents would come aggressively or defensively at us early on, but unless we can play well even under that level of pressure, we won't be the real deal."[17]
It was the fourth international title River Plate had lifted in 245 days, breaking the record set by Estudiantes de La Plata between 1968 and 1969, who had managed the same in just over a year. Gallardo commented on the feat: "A sense of aura is being built up, and that’s achieved by solidifying a winning team." He added further: "Getting used to winning is the best – we can't deviate from that path."[18]
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