17 Nov 2008(Mon)

November 15, 2008: As the work day draws to a close and the bright lights of the evening beckon, there is no better place to be in Tokyo than Ebisu.

Especially when you are standing outside the Footnik bar, waiting for the doors to open at 5pm and welcome you into the warmth and a seat for the big match.

This was the scene on Wednesday evening, as football fans formed an orderly queue and passers-by wondered what all the fuss was about.

It was Adelaide United against Gamba Osaka, of course, in the second leg of the Asian Champions League final, live from Australia, and by the time the match kicked off at 6pm the bar was pretty full of blue and black stripes.

While some of the foreigners needed filling in on who was playing, where and why, the Japanese were well into it and soon celebrating wildly.

The nimble feet of Sasaki, the low shot, the parry and the finish from Lucas...1-0 Gamba, 4-0 on aggregate, and the game as good as over after only four minutes.

Just to make sure, Gamba added a second on the quarter-hour mark, this time Futagawa producing a peach of a pass for Lucas to convert again.

Several things impressed me from this point on: the way Gamba continued to play their precise passing game and did not resort to time-wasting tactics (the Arsenal of Japan in evidence again); the way the fans in the bar lapped it up and created a cup final atmosphere of tension, excitement and, finally, of pride; and how the red-shirted Aussie fans in the Hindmarsh Stadium did not leave their seats until the final whistle, even though their cause was hopeless.

Before kick-off, Adelaide's chances of overturning their 3-0 deficit from the first leg were slim, but even when they had disappeared altogether the home fans did not disappear from the stadium, creating a colourful spectacle for the TV images beamed around the world.

The quality of the goals, too, would have impressed the international audience, especially the speed and the skills of the Japanese players, despite both goals being scored by a Brazilian.

It was a great night at the Footnik -- more expensive than necessary due to the fact the match was not being shown on terrestrial television or even on TV Asahi's 717 channel on "Sky-Per" -- and the fans left the bar with a spring in their step and a lighter wallet. Everyone wins.

After the success of Urawa Reds last season and of Gamba now, the Japanese clubs have finally stamped their authority on the continent's premier club competition.

And how the organisers will be wishing for a Japanese club in the final next season, as the AFC has decided to scrap the two-leg format and play a single match at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

ends