Gamba are Emperors of Japan as they do the treble
Fairy tale complete as once struggling club show 'fantastic togetherness' to take place in history
Gamba Osaka completed Japan's domestic treble yesterday by beating Montedio Yamagata 3-1 in the Emperor's Cup final, celebrating wildly as a shower of confetti rained down.
Striker Takashi Usami scored twice in Yokohama to fire a timely reminder to watching Japan coach Javier Aguirre, who has bizarrely overlooked the sharp-shooting former Bayern Munich striker since taking charge of the Blue Samurai after the World Cup.
The Mexican is set to name his Japan squad for next month's Asian Cup tomorrow, and Japan's hopes of retaining their crown would clearly be boosted with Usami's inclusion.
We've stuck to our style of playing all year and this is an amazing way to finish an amazing season
Gamba, who wrapped up their second J-League title last weekend to cap a sensational return to the top flight following a chastening year in division two, became only the second side to achieve the Japanese treble since the J-League was launched in 1993, Kashima Antlers having done it in 2000.
"I'm very proud of the players," Gamba manager Kenta Hasegawa said.
"The team has shown fantastic togetherness. We've stuck to our style of playing all year and this is an amazing way to finish an amazing season."
Gamba, also this year's J-League Cup winners, lifted the Emperor's Cup - Japan's version of the English FA Cup - for the third time after winning it in 2008 and 2009.