Match Report
The table gap was wide: 33 points between Gamba Osaka (9th, 57 pts) and Albirex Niigata (20th, 24 pts). Against a league average of 1.2 goals per team per game, Gamba Osaka ran at 1.39 scored and 1.45 conceded, Albirex Niigata at 0.95 and 1.76.
Five consecutive wins preceded this game for Gamba Osaka, having scored in 6 consecutive games. Albirex Niigata had gone 13 games without a win. Recent form was uneven: 15/15 points for Gamba Osaka, 1/15 for Albirex Niigata.
Across 4 recorded meetings, Gamba Osaka have 2 wins to Albirex Niigata's 0, with 2 draws, at 2.5 goals per meeting. The host's record in this fixture is thin — 25% of meetings won. Historically tight: 25% of the meetings went beyond two goals.
The venue was Panasonic Stadium Suita, with room for 39,694 spectators. It was 1-1 at the break, and the second half added 4 goals for the 4-2 full-time score.
Goal scorers
Gamba Osaka: Takashi Usami (37'), Welton (60'), Shuto Abe (64'), Deniz Hümmet (75') · Albirex Niigata: Taiki Arai (15'), Jin Okumura (49')
Key stats
Possession: Gamba Osaka 62% · Albirex Niigata 38% · Total shots: 16-7 · On target: 9-2 · Corners: 4-3