2015 Gamba Osaka season

Gamba Osaka
2015 season
Chairman	Teruhisa Noro
Manager	Kenta Hasegawa
J1 League	3rd (regular season) ; Runner-up (Championship)
Emperor's Cup	Winners
J.League Cup	Runner-up
AFC Champions League	Semi-finals
Japanese Super Cup	Winners
Suruga Bank Championship	Runner-up
Top goalscorer	League: Takashi Usami 19; All: Takashi Usami 28
Highest home attendance	18,842 vs Kawasaki Frontale, ; 16 May 2015 (J1 League)
Lowest home attendance	6,064 vs Nagoya Grampus, ; 2 September 2015 (J.League Cup)
Average home league attendance	15,999 (league) ; 13,927 (season)
	← 2014 2016 →

The 2015 Gamba Osaka season was Gamba Osaka's 22nd season in the J.League Division 1 and 28th overall in the Japanese top flight. It also includes the 2015 J.League Cup, 2015 Emperor's Cup, 2015 AFC Champions League, 2015 Japanese Super Cup and the 2015 Suruga Bank Championship.

Transfers

In

No.	Pos	Player	Transferred from	Fee	Date	Source
24	FW	Shingo Akamine	Vegalta Sendai	Unknown	Dec 2014	^[1]
18	GK	Yōsuke Fujigaya	Júbilo Iwata	Free transfer	Jan 2015	^[2]
33	MF	Shōhei Ogura	Yokohama F. Marinos	Unknown	Dec 2014	^[3]
20	FW	Shun Nagasawa	Shimizu S-Pulse	Unknown	9 Jul 2015

Out

Pos	Player	Transferred to	Fee	Date	Source
FW	Shota Kawanishi	Montedio Yamagata	Unknown	Dec 2014	^{[citation needed]}
GK	Kohei Kawata	Ventforet Kofu	Unknown	Dec 2014	^{[citation needed]}
GK	Atsushi Kimura	retired	Unknown	Dec 2014	^{[citation needed]}
FW	Naoki Ogawa	Fujieda MYFC	Loan	Dec 2014	^{[citation needed]}
MF	Kenya Okazaki	Ehime FC	Loan	Dec 2014	^{[citation needed]}
FW	Akihiro Sato	Tokushima Vortis	Unknown	Dec 2014	^{[citation needed]}
DF	Yuto Uchida	Tokushima Vortis	Loan	Dec 2014	^{[citation needed]}
MF	Shōhei Ogura	Montedio Yamagata	Loan	Aug 2015

First team squad

As of the beginning of 2015 season.^[4]^[5]

Squad no.	Name	Position(s)	Since	Date of birth (Age)	Signed from	Games played	Goals scored
Goalkeepers
1	Masaaki Higashiguchi	GK	2014	(1986-05-12)12 May 1986 (aged 29)	Albirex Niigata	50	0
16	Ken Tajiri	GK	2013	(1993-06-11)11 June 1993 (aged 22)	Gamba Osaka Youth	0	0
18	Yōsuke Fujigaya	GK	2015	(1981-02-13)13 February 1981 (aged 34)	Júbilo Iwata	336	0
31	Mizuki Hayashi	GK	2015	(1996-09-04)4 September 1996 (aged 19)	Gamba Osaka Youth	0	0
Defenders
3	Takaharu Nishino	CB	2012	(1993-09-14)14 September 1993 (aged 22)	Gamba Osaka Youth	54	6
4	Hiroki Fujiharu	LB	2011	(1988-11-28)28 November 1988 (aged 27)	Osaka University of H&SS	145	6
5	Daiki Niwa	CB	2012	(1986-01-16)16 January 1986 (aged 29)	Avispa Fukuoka	82	6
6	Kim Jung-ya	CB	2014	(1988-05-17)17 May 1988 (aged 27)	Sagan Tosu	31	0
8	Keisuke Iwashita	CB	2012	(1986-09-24)24 September 1986 (aged 29)	Shimizu S-Pulse	77	4
14	Koki Yonekura	RB / RM	2014	(1988-05-17)17 May 1988 (aged 27)	JEF United	35	3
22	Oh Jae-suk	RB / LB	2013	(1990-01-04)4 January 1990 (aged 25)	Gangwon FC	42	0
30	So Hirao	RB	2015	(1996-07-01)1 July 1996 (aged 19)	Gamba Osaka Youth	0	0
35	Ryo Hatsuse	CB	2015	(1997-07-10)10 July 1997 (aged 18)	Gamba Osaka Youth	0	0
Midfielders
7	Yasuhito Endō (captain)	CM / AM	2001	(1980-01-28)28 January 1980 (aged 35)	Kyoto Purple Sanga	556	112
10	Takahiro Futagawa	RM / LM	1999	(1980-06-27)27 June 1980 (aged 35)	Gamba Osaka Youth	587	86
11	Shu Kurata	LW / AM	2012	(1988-11-26)26 November 1988 (aged 27)	Cerezo Osaka	149	28
13	Hiroyuki Abe	RM	2012	(1989-07-05)5 July 1989 (aged 26)	Kwansei Gakuin University	96	18
15	Yasuyuki Konno	CB / DM / CM	2012	(1983-01-25)25 January 1983 (aged 32)	FC Tokyo	122	8
17	Tomokazu Myojin	DM / CM	2006	(1978-01-24)24 January 1978 (aged 37)	Kashiwa Reysol	338	19
19	Kotaro Omori	RW / LW	2011	(1992-04-28)28 April 1992 (aged 23)	Gamba Osaka Youth	63	8
21	Yōsuke Ideguchi	DM / CM	2014	(1996-08-23)23 August 1996 (aged 19)	Gamba Osaka Youth	2	0
26	Naoya Senoo	CM	2015	(1996-08-15)15 August 1996 (aged 19)	Gamba Osaka Youth	0	0
27	Tatsuya Uchida	DM / CM	2011	(1992-02-08)8 February 1992 (aged 23)	Gamba Osaka Youth	68	1
28	Shota Yomesaka	CM	2014	(1996-10-19)19 October 1996 (aged 19)	Gamba Osaka Youth	0	0
33	Shōhei Ogura	RB / DM / CM	2015	(1985-09-08)8 September 1985 (aged 30)	Yokohama F. Marinos	0	0
38	Ritsu Doan	RM	2015	(1998-06-16)16 June 1998 (aged 17)	Gamba Osaka Youth	0	0
Strikers
9	Lins	CF	2014	(1987-09-11)11 September 1987 (aged 28)	Criciúma	39	8
20	Shun Nagasawa	CF	2015	(1988-08-25)25 August 1988 (aged 27)	Shimizu S-Pulse	0	0
24	Shingo Akamine	CF	2015	(1983-12-08)8 December 1983 (aged 32)	Vegalta Sendai	0	0
29	Patric	CF	2014	(1987-10-26)26 October 1987 (aged 28)	Atlético Goianiense	27	16
39	Takashi Usami	CF / AM	2013	(1992-05-06)6 May 1992 (aged 23)	Hoffenheim	118	59

Pre-season friendlies

Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F-A	Scorers	Attendance
24 January 2015	Persija	A	4–0	Usami 35' Lins 56', 72' Patric 86'

Japanese Super Cup

Gamba started their domestic season on 28 February 2015 with a 2–0 victory over the 2014 J.League runners-up, the Urawa Red Diamonds in Yokohama. Both Gamba's goals came in the second half and were scored by Takashi Usami and Patric. ^[6]

Round	Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F-A	Scorers	Attendance
Final	28 February 2015	Urawa Red Diamonds	N	2–0	Usami 68' Patric 90+3'	47,666

J.League 1

Starting from the 2015 season, it was announced that the J.League would again change back to a two-stage "mini-league" (last held in 2004). The winners of each stage and top three clubs of the aggregate table subsequently qualify for the Championship.

First stage

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
3	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	17	10	4	3	29	16	+13	34
4	Gamba Osaka	17	9	5	3	24	13	+11	32
5	Kawasaki Frontale	17	9	3	5	32	26	+6	30

Updated to match(es) played on 27 June 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored

Round	Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance	League position
1	7 March 2015	FC Tokyo	H	2–2	Patric 45'+1, Usami (pen.) 52'	18,332	10th
2	14 March 2015	Sagan Tosu	A	0–1		17,695	13th
3	22 March 2015	Ventforet Kofu	A	2–0	Abe 62', Usami 64'	13,047	9th
4	3 April 2015	Nagoya Grampus	H	3–1	Usami 45'+1, 49' Konno 80'	10,702	5th
5	12 April 2015	Shimizu S-Pulse	A	3–2	Usami 30', 80', Patric 51'	16,027	3rd
6	18 April 2015	Shonan Bellmare	A	2–0	Usami 26', Endō (pen.) 90'	14,538	2nd
7	26 April 2015	Albirex Niigata	H	2–1	Usami 48', Patric 84'	17,417	2nd
8	29 April 2015	Matsumoto Yamaga	H	1–0	Usami 16'	17,173	2nd
9	2 May 2015	Urawa Red Diamonds	A	0–1		53,148	3rd
10	10 May 2015	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	A	1–0	Lins 60'	17,372	3rd
11	16 May 2015	Kawasaki Frontale	H	1–1	Usami 43'	18,842	2nd
12	30 May 2015	Yokohama F. Marinos	A	1–1	Patric 90+5'	35,044	4th
13	3 June 2015	Kashima Antlers	H	2–0	Konno 41', Endō (pen.) 52'	13,110	2nd
14	7 June 2015	Vissel Kobe	H	0–0		18,437	4th
15	20 June 2015	Vegalta Sendai	H	1–1	Konno 33'	14,616	4th
16	23 June 2015	Kashiwa Reysol	A	0–1		9,997	4th
17	27 June 2015	Montedio Yamagata	A	3–1	Usami 50', 59', 62'	14,320	4th

Match day line-ups

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 J.League 1 First Stage:

Player appearances – 2015 J1 League First Stage
Round	Opponent	GK	RB	LB	CB	CB	RM	LM	CM	CM	FW	FW
1	FC Tokyo	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Myojin	Patric	Usami	Lins	Yonekura
2	Sagan Tosu	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Myojin	Patric	Usami	Lins	Abe	Yonekura
3	Ventforet Kofu	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Myojin	Patric	Usami	Kurata	Konno	Akamine
4	Nagoya Grampus	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Omori	Ogura
5	Shimizu S-Pulse	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Futagawa	Omori
6	Shonan Bellmare	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Kurata	Akamine	Ogura
7	Albirex Niigata	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Lins	Usami	Yonekura	Omori	Patric
8	Matsumoto Yamaga	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Omori	Endō	Ideguchi	Patric	Usami	Lins	Konno	Ogura
9	Urawa Red Diamonds	Higashiguchi	Ogura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Abe	Akamine
10	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Higashiguchi	Niwa	Fujiharu	Kim	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Lins	Usami	Kurata	Patric	Ogura
11	Kawasaki Frontale	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Kurata	Akamine
12	Yokohama F. Marinos	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Myojin	Lins	Usami	Abe	Patric	Ogura
13	Kashima Antlers	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Doan
14	Vissel Kobe	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Omori	Akamine
15	Vegalta Sendai	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Doan	Omori	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Abe	Akamine
16	Kashiwa Reysol	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Abe	Akamine
17	Montedio Yamagata	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Kim	Myojin	Omori

= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

Second stage

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
2	Kashima Antlers	17	12	1	4	30	16	+14	37
3	Gamba Osaka	17	9	4	4	32	24	+8	31
4	Urawa Red Diamonds	17	9	4	4	30	23	+7	31

Updated to match(es) played on 22 November 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League 2nd Stage Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored

Round	Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance	League position
18	11 July 2015	Ventforet Kofu	H	2–1	Patric 34', Usami (pen.) 90'	14,364	6th
19	15 July 2015	Nagoya Grampus	A	2–3	Omori 8', Patric 30'	13,422	8th
20	19 July 2015	Yokohama F. Marinos	H	2–2	Patric 5', Usami 68'	16,787	7th
21	22 July 2015	Sagan Tosu	H	1–1	Endō (pen.) 39'	11,156	4th
22	25 July 2015	Vissel Kobe	A	2–1	Endō 12', Usami 77'	20,679	3rd
23	29 July 2015	Albirex Niigata	A	2–2	Yonekura 47', Endō (pen.) 54'	19,650	5th
24	16 August 2015	FC Tokyo	A	1–2	Patric 47'	37,978	10th
25	22 August 2015	Shimizu S-Pulse	H	1–0	Patric 31'	15,333	8th
26	30 August 2015	Shonan Bellmare	H	1–0	Kurata 9'	14,985	5th
27	12 September 2015	Kashima Antlers	A	2–1	Usami (pen.) 29', 39'	22,380	5th
28	20 September 2015	Matsumoto Yamaga	A	1–1	Kurata (pen.) 90+3'	18,052	5th
29	26 September 2015	Kashiwa Reysol	H	3–1	Abe 34', 37', Usami 60'	16,438	4th
30	4 October 2015	Kawasaki Frontale	A	3–5	Patric 42', 66', Kurata 71'	24,300	8th
31	17 October 2015	Urawa Red Diamonds	H	2–1	Abe 7', Nagasawa 59'	18,638	4th
32	25 October 2015	Vegalta Sendai	A	3–1	Patric 21' Kurata 36', 62'	19,263	4th
33	7 November 2015	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	H	0–2		17,435	4th
34	22 November 2015	Montedio Yamagata	H	4–0	Omori 61', 63', Nagasawa 64', Yonekura 66'	18,219	3rd

Match day line-ups

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 J.League 1 Second stage:

Player appearances – 2015 J1 League Second stage
	Opponent	GK	RB	LB	CB	CB	RM	LM	CM	CM	FW	FW
18	Ventforet Kofu	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Omori	Akamine
19	Nagoya Grampus	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Abe	Nagasawa
20	Yokohama F. Marinos	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Abe	Yonekura	Nagasawa
21	Sagan Tosu	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Oh	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Myojin	Patric	Usami	Fujiharu	Lins	Konno
22	Vissel Kobe	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Lins	Usami	Kurata	Myojin	Patric
23	Albirex Niigata	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Myojin	Omori	Oh
24	FC Tokyo	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Omori	Akamine
25	Shimizu S-Pulse	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Abe	Ideguchi
26	Shonan Bellmare	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Omori	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Kim	Abe	Ideguchi
27	Kashima Antlers	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Kim	Lins	Ideguchi
28	Matsumoto Yamaga	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Endō	Ideguchi	Konno	Akamine	Usami	Kurata	Omori	Patric
29	Kashiwa Reysol	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Oh	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Myojin	Omori	Akamine
30	Kawasaki Frontale	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Oh	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Kurata	Myojin
31	Urawa Red Diamonds	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Endō	Ideguchi	Konno	Akamine	Usami	Kim	Omori	Nagasawa
32	Vegalta Sendai	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Kim	Ideguchi	Akamine
33	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Endō	Kurata	Ideguchi	Konno	Patric	Usami	Abe	Fujigaya	Omori
34	Montedio Yamagata	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Kurata	Usami	Futagawa	Yonekura	Nagasawa

= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

Overall standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
2	Urawa Red Diamonds	34	21	9	4	69	40	+29	72	Champions League group stage and J.League Championship 1st Round
3	Gamba Osaka	34	18	9	7	56	37	+19	63
4	FC Tokyo	34	19	6	9	45	33	+12	63	Champions League qualifying play-off^[a]

Updated to match(es) played on 28 November 2015. Source: Meiji Yasuda J1 League Standings
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:

^ The winner of the 2015 Emperor's Cup qualified for the Group Stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League. Since the Emperor's Cup winner was Gamba Osaka who were the third-placed team, the qualifying play-off spot was awarded to the fourth-placed team.

Championship stage

Gamba's 3rd-place finish in the overall standings for J.League 1 in 2015 saw them paired against the Urawa Red Diamonds at the semi-final stage. Due to Urawa's higher placing, the match was played at Saitama Stadium 2002, Urawa's home ground. A 3–1 win after extra-time set up a two-legged final against Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Round	Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F-A	Scorers	Attendance
Semi-Final	28 November 2015	Urawa Red Diamonds	A	3–1 aet	Konno 47', Fujiharu 118', Patric 120+1'	40,696
Final	2 December 2015	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	H	2–3	Nagasawa 60', Konno 82'	17,844
Final	5 December 2015	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	A	1–1	Konno 27'	36,609

Match day line-ups

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the J.League 1 Championship Stage:

Player appearances – 2015 J1 League
Round	Opponent	GK	RB	LB	CB	CB	RM	LM	CM	CM	FW	FW
SF	Urawa Red Diamonds	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Kurata	Yonekura	Ideguchi
F	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Nagasawa	Usami	Kurata	Yonekura	Patric
F	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Nagasawa	Usami	Kurata	Ideguchi	Patric

= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

AFC Champions League

As 2014 J.League Division 1 champions, Gamba qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League. This was their 7th appearance in the competition and their first since 2012. They were drawn into Group F along with Buriram United of Thailand, Guangzhou R&F of China and Seongnam of South Korea.^[7] Gamba finished top of the group and along with Seongnam qualified for the Round of 16. As Group F winners they were paired against the runner-up of Group H who were FC Seoul. Gamba defeated Seoul 6–3 on aggregate and were paired with yet another Korean side, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the quarter-finals. Following a scoreless draw in the first leg in Korea, Gamba sealed a dramatic 3–2 victory at home, with defender Koki Yonekura netting the winner in the 93rd minute to ensure their progression to the semi-finals where they were paired with Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande. A 2–1 defeat in China followed by 0–0 draw at home saw Gamba fall at the semi-final stage.

Round	Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F–A	Scorers	Attendance	League position
1	24 February 2015	Guangzhou R&F	H	0–2		8,848	4th
2	3 March 2015	Seongnam	A	0–2		7,813	4th
3	18 March 2015	Buriram United	H	1–1	Abe 39'	6,469	4th
4	7 April 2015	Buriram United	A	2–1	Lins 40', Omori 87'	23,987	4th
5	22 April 2015	Guangzhou R&F	A	5–0	Patric 14', 45', Abe 43', 68', Usami 70'	8,647	2nd
6	6 May 2015	Seongnam	H	2–1	Usami 64', Lins 82'	12,821	1st
1/16	20 May 2015	FC Seoul	A	3–1	Usami 62', 86', Yonekura 73'	10,607	N/A
1/16	27 May 2015	FC Seoul	H	3–2	Patric 16', Kurata 45', Lins 86'	9,597	N/A
QF	26 August 2015	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	A	0–0		23,633	N/A
QF	16 September 2015	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	H	3–2	Patric 14', Kurata 76', Yonekura 90+3'	9,284	N/A
SF	30 September 2015	Guangzhou Evergrande	A	1–2	Feng 12' (o.g.)	48,946	N/A
SF	21 October 2015	Guangzhou Evergrande	H	0–0		17,310	N/A

Match day line-ups

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 AFC Champions League:

Player appearances – 2015 AFC Champions League
Round	Opponent	GK	RB	LB	CB	CB	RM	LM	CM	CM	FW	FW
1	Guangzhou R&F	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Ogura	Patric	Usami	Lins	Kurata	Akamine
2	Seongnam	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Oh	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Ogura	Patric	Lins	Fujiharu	Myojin	Usami
3	Buriram United	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Oh	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Myojin	Patric	Usami	Fujiharu	Lins	Akamine
4	Buriram United	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Lins	Usami	Kim	Omori	Akamine
5	Guangzhou R&F	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Kurata	Ogura
6	Seongnam	Higashiguchi	Ogura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Futagawa	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Iwashita	Lins	Kurata
1/16	FC Seoul	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Kurata	Futagawa
1/16	FC Seoul	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Kim	Lins	Doan
QF	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	Higashiguchi	Niwa	Fujiharu	Kim	Iwashita	Abe	Omori	Endō	Myojin	Patric	Usami	Lins	Kurata	Ideguchi
QF	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	Higashiguchi	Oh	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Futagawa	Endō	Konno	Patric	Kurata	Kim	Lins	Yonekura
SF	Guangzhou Evergrande	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Oh	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Lins	Myojin	Akamine
SF	Guangzhou Evergrande	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Iwashita	Abe	Futagawa	Endō	Konno	Patric	Kurata	Omori	Nagasawa	Usami

= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

Suruga Bank Championship

The Suruga Bank Championship sees the winners of the previous season's J.League Cup and Copa Sudamerica face off in a one-off match. This saw Gamba take on Argentine giants River Plate. A 3–0 defeat at Osaka Expo '70 Stadium saw Gamba finish as runners-up.

Round	Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F-A	Scorers	Attendance
Final	11 August 2015	River Plate	H	0–3		12,722

J.League Cup

As a result of their qualification for the AFC Champions League, Gamba were given a bye into the quarter-finals of the League Cup, where they were paired against Nagoya Grampus in a two-legged encounter. After a dramatic 10–9 penalty shoot-out victory over Nagoya, in which goalkeeper Yosuke Fujigaya struck the winning penalty, Gamba were drawn against Albirex Niigata in the semi-finals. A 3–2 aggregate win over Niigata set up a final against Kashima Antlers which they lost 3–0.

Round	Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F-A	Scorers	Attendance
QF	2 September 2015	Nagoya Grampus	H	1–1	Futagawa 6'	6,064
QF	6 September 2015	Nagoya Grampus	A	2–2 10–9 on pens	Abe 41', Iwashita 94'	8,064
SF	7 October 2015	Albirex Niigata	A	1–2	Omori 33'	9,018
SF	11 October 2015	Albirex Niigata	H	2–0	Endō 57, Fujiharu 90+4'	11,475
F	31 October 2015	Kashima Antlers	N	0–3		50,828

Match day line-ups

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 J.League Cup:

Player appearances – 2015 J.League Cup
Round	Opponent	GK	RB	LB	CB	CB	RM	LM	CM	CM	FW	FW
QF	Nagoya Grampus	Fujigaya	Hirao	Nishino	Kim	Konno	Abe	Futagawa	Myojin	Ideguchi	Lins	Akamine	Iwashita	Omori	Doan
QF	Nagoya Grampus	Fujigaya	Oh	Fujiharu	Kim	Iwashita	Abe	Futagawa	Endō	Konno	Patric	Kurata	Lins	Omori	Ideguchi
SF	Albirex Niigata	Fujigaya	Oh	Fujiharu	Kim	Nishino	Omori	Futagawa	Myojin	Ideguchi	Akamine	Kurata	Iwashita	Lins	Senoo
SF	Albirex Niigata	Fujigaya	Oh	Fujiharu	Nishino	Iwashita	Abe	Futagawa	Endō	Konno	Patric	Kurata	Myojin	Omori	Ideguchi
F	Kashima Antlers	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Kurata	Endō	Konno	Patric	Usami	Iwashita	Lins	Omori

= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

Emperor's Cup

Due to their success in reaching the AFC Champions League semi-final, Gamba were given a bye to the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup where they were drawn away to fellow J-League 1 side Kawasaki Frontale. A 2–0 victory saw them progress to the quarter-finals where they were paired with another J-League 1 outfit, this time Sagan Tosu. A 3–1 win ensured they qualified for the semi-finals where they were again successful, this time beating 2015 J-League 1 Champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3–0 in a match played at Nagai Stadium. The final was played at Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo on 1 January 2016 and saw Gamba triumph 2–1 against the Urawa Red Diamonds to retain the trophy.

Round	Date	Opponents	H / A	Result F-A	Scorers	Attendance
4th round	15 November 2015	Kawasaki Frontale	H	2–0	Omori 45+2', Kurata 53'	7,345
Quarter-Final	26 December 2015	Sagan Tosu	H	3–1	Usami 26', 79', Nagasawa 80'	12,132
Semi-Final	29 December 2015	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	N	3–1	Usami 7', 74', Nagasawa 90+1'	17,027
Final	1 January 2016	Urawa Red Diamonds	N	2–1	Patric 32', 53'	43,809

Match day line-ups

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2015 Emperor's Cup:

Player appearances – 2015 Emperor's Cup
Round	Opponent	GK	RB	LB	CB	CB	RM	LM	CM	CM	FW	FW
4R	Kawasaki Frontale	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Oh	Niwa	Nishino	Abe	Omori	Endō	Konno	Patric	Kurata	Nagasawa	Ideguchi
QF	Sagan Tosu	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Konno	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Usami	Endō	Ideguchi	Patric	Kurata	Myojin	Nagasawa	Uchida
SF	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Usami	Endō	Konno	Patric	Kurata	Nagasawa	Ideguchi
F	Urawa Red Diamonds	Higashiguchi	Yonekura	Fujiharu	Niwa	Kim	Abe	Usami	Endō	Konno	Patric	Kurata	Nagasawa	Ideguchi	Uchida

= Substitute on, = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

Squad statistics

No.	Pos.	Name	League		Emperor's Cup		J.League Cup		Champions League		Other¹		Total		Discipline
No.	Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Masaaki Higashiguchi	34	0	4	0	1	0	12	0	4	0	55	0	4	0
3	DF	Takaharu Nishino	3	0	1	0	4	0	1	0	3	0	12	0	2	0
4	DF	Hiroki Fujiharu	31(1)	0	2	0	4	1	9(2)	0	4(1)	1	50(4)	2	2	0
5	DF	Daiki Niwa	34	0	4	0	1	0	12	0	4	0	55	0	5	0
6	DF	Kim Jung-ya	8(5)	0	3	0	3	0	4(3)	0	1	0	19(8)	0	3	1
7	MF	Yasuhito Endō (c)	34	5	4	0	3	1	12	0	5	0	58	6	4	0
8	DF	Keisuke Iwashita	24	0	0	0	2(3)	1	8(1)	0	2	0	36(4)	1	8	0
9	FW	Lins	4(16)	1	0	0	1(3)	0	2(8)	3	1(1)	0	8(28)	4	0	1
10	MF	Takahiro Futagawa	0(2)	0	0	0	4	1	3(1)	0	0(1)	0	7(4)	1	0	0
11	MF	Shu Kurata	24(7)	5	4	1	4	0	6(5)	2	1(4)	0	40(15)	8	8	0
13	MF	Hiroyuki Abe	23(10)	4	4	0	4	1	12	3	3(2)	0	46(12)	8	1	0
14	DF	Koki Yonekura	26(5)	2	4	0	1	0	9(1)	2	1(2)	0	41(8)	4	6	0
15	MF	Yasuyuki Konno	28(3)	3	4	0	4	0	8	0	4	3	48(3)	6	11	0
16	GK	Ken Tajiri	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	MF	Tomokazu Myojin	5(5)	0	0(1)	0	2(1)	0	2(2)	0	2	0	11(9)	0	3	0
18	GK	Yōsuke Fujigaya	0(1)	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	1	0	5(1)	0	0	0
19	MF	Kotaro Omori	18(12)	3	1	1	1(4)	1	5(2)	1	5	0	30(18)	6	4	0
20	FW	Shun Nagasawa	0(4)	2	0(4)	2	0	0	0(1)	0	2	1	2(9)	5	1	0
21	MF	Yōsuke Ideguchi	4(4)	0	1(3)	0	2(2)	0	0(1)	0	1(2)	0	8(12)	0	0	0
22	DF	Oh Jae-suk	9(1)	0	1	0	3	0	4	0	4	0	21(1)	0	3	1
24	FW	Shingo Akamine	2(11)	0	0	0	2	0	0(4)	0	2	0	6(15)	0	1	0
26	MF	Naoya Senoo	0	0	0	0	0(1)	0	0	0	0	0	0(1)	0	0	0
27	MF	Tatsuya Uchida	0	0	0(2)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0(2)	0	0	0
28	MF	Shota Yomesaka	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	FW	Patric	27(5)	12	4	2	3	0	11	4	2(3)	2	47(8)	20	13	1
30	FW	So Hirao	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0(1)	0	1(1)	0	0	0
31	GK	Mizuki Hayashi	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	MF	Shōhei Ogura	1(5)	0	0	0	0	0	3(1)	0	0	0	4(6)	0	0	0
35	DF	Ryo Hatsuse	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	MF	Ritsu Doan	1(1)	0	0	0	0(1)	0	0	0	0(1)	0	1(3)	0	0	0
39	FW	Takashi Usami	34	19	3	4	1	0	9(2)	4	4	1	51(2)	28	8	0
—	—	Own goals	–	0	–	0	–	0	–	1	–	0	–	1	–	–

Statistics accurate as of match played 1 January 2016.^[8]^[9]

¹ Includes 2015 J1 League Championship, 2015 Japanese Super Cup and 2015 Suruga Bank Championship appearances.

References

^ "FW24 赤嶺真吾｜ガンバ大阪オフィシャルサイト". Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
^ "GK18 藤ヶ谷陽介｜ガンバ大阪オフィシャルサイト". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
^ "MF33 小椋祥平｜ガンバ大阪オフィシャルサイト". Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
^ "Players | GAMBA OSAKA".
^ "選手 / チームスタッフ｜ガンバ大阪オフィシャルサイト".
^ Soccerway Game Report
^ "AFC Champions League 2015 Draw". AFC. 12 December 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014.
^ "2015 Gamba Osaka Season Statistics". flashscore.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
^ "2015 Gamba Osaka Team Profile". soccerway.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.

[table_note_res_CS0.54388927181432-7] The winner of the 2015 Emperor's Cup qualified for the Group Stage of the 2016 AFC Champions League. Since the Emperor's Cup winner was Gamba Osaka who were the third-placed team, the qualifying play-off spot was awarded to the fourth-placed team.

[1] "FW24 赤嶺真吾｜ガンバ大阪オフィシャルサイト". Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.

[2] "GK18 藤ヶ谷陽介｜ガンバ大阪オフィシャルサイト". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.

[3] "MF33 小椋祥平｜ガンバ大阪オフィシャルサイト". Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.

[4] "Players | GAMBA OSAKA".

[5] "選手 / チームスタッフ｜ガンバ大阪オフィシャルサイト".

[6] Soccerway Game Report

[draw-8] "AFC Champions League 2015 Draw". AFC. 12 December 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014.

[9] "2015 Gamba Osaka Season Statistics". flashscore.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.

[10] "2015 Gamba Osaka Team Profile". soccerway.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[a]

[7]

[8]

[9]