Japan J-League | 04/29 10:00 | 10 | [6] FC Tokyo v Gamba Osaka [14] | L | 2-0 | |
Japan J-League Cup | 04/23 05:00 | 5 | [1] Cerezo Osaka v Gamba Osaka [3] | D | 0-0 | |
Japan J-League | 04/17 05:00 | 9 | [11] Gamba Osaka v Shonan Bellmare [18] | L | 0-1 | |
Japan J-League Cup | 04/13 10:00 | 4 | [4] Gamba Osaka v Oita [3] | W | 2-0 | |
Japan J-League | 04/10 04:00 | 8 | [15] Shimizu S-Pulse v Gamba Osaka [9] | D | 1-1 | |
Japan J-League | 04/06 09:30 | 7 | [10] Kyoto Sanga FC v Gamba Osaka [9] | D | 1-1 | |
Japan J-League | 04/02 05:00 | 6 | [13] Gamba Osaka v Nagoya Grampus [10] | W | 3-1 | |
Japan J-League Cup | 03/26 06:00 | 3 | [3] Kashima Antlers v Gamba Osaka [3] | L | 4-1 | |
Japan J-League | 03/19 05:00 | 5 | [9] Gamba Osaka v Avispa Fukuoka [16] | L | 2-3 | |
Japan J-League | 03/12 05:00 | 4 | [5] Jubilo Iwata v Gamba Osaka [8] | D | 1-1 | |
Japan J-League | 03/06 06:00 | 3 | [9] Gamba Osaka v Kawasaki Frontale [1] | D | 2-2 | |
Japan J-League Cup | 03/02 10:00 | 2 | [2] Oita v Gamba Osaka [4] | D | 2-2 | |
Japan J-League | 02/26 06:00 | 2 | [14] Urawa Red Diamonds v Gamba Osaka [17] | W | 0-1 | |
Japan J-League Cup | 02/23 05:00 | 1 | Gamba Osaka v Cerezo Osaka | L | 2-3 | |
Japan J-League | 02/19 05:00 | 1 | [4] Gamba Osaka v Kashima Antlers [7] | L | 1-3 | |
Japan J-League | 12/04 05:00 | 38 | [13] Gamba Osaka v Shonan Bellmare [16] | D | 0-0 | |
Japan J-League | 11/27 05:00 | 37 | [1] Kawasaki Frontale v Gamba Osaka [13] | L | 4-1 | |
Japan J-League | 11/20 05:00 | 36 | [13] Gamba Osaka v Nagoya Grampus [5] | L | 1-3 | |
Japan J-League | 11/07 05:00 | 35 | [18] Oita v Gamba Osaka [13] | W | 2-3 | |
Japan J-League | 11/03 04:05 | 34 | [2] Yokohama F-Marinos v Gamba Osaka [13] | W | 0-1 | |
Japan Cup | 10/27 09:30 | 3 | Gamba Osaka v Urawa Red Diamonds | L | 0-2 | |
Japan J-League | 10/23 08:00 | 33 | [14] Gamba Osaka v Sagan Tosu [7] | W | 1-0 | |
Japan J-League | 10/16 06:00 | 32 | [5] Urawa Red Diamonds v Gamba Osaka [14] | D | 1-1 | |
Japan J-League | 10/02 10:00 | 31 | [14] Gamba Osaka v Consadole Sapporo [12] | L | 1-5 | |
Japan J-League | 09/26 10:00 | 30 | [14] Gamba Osaka v Kashiwa Reysol [13] | W | 2-1 | |
Japan Cup | 09/22 09:00 | 4 | Gamba Osaka v Shonan Bellmare | W | 4-1 | |
Japan J-League | 09/18 09:00 | 29 | [7] Kashima Antlers v Gamba Osaka [14] | L | 3-1 | |
Japan J-League | 09/12 09:30 | 28 | [13] Gamba Osaka v Vegalta Sendai [19] | L | 2-3 | |
Japan J-League Cup | 09/05 09:00 | 3 | Gamba Osaka v Cerezo Osaka | L | 0-4 | |
Japan J-League Cup | 09/01 10:00 | 3 | Cerezo Osaka v Gamba Osaka | W | 0-1 |
Gamba Osaka (ガンバ大阪, Ganba Ōsaka) is a Japanese professional football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's home stadium is Panasonic Stadium Suita. They form a local rivalry with Osaka city-based Cerezo Osaka.
Gamba Osaka is among the most accomplished Japanese clubs, having won 2 J1 League title, 5 Emperor's Cup, 2 J.League Cup and 2 Japanese Super Cup. Continentally in 2008, the club became the first Japanese club to win the AFC Champions League thus qualifying Gamba internationally to their only FIFA Club World Cup appearances in the 2008 edition.
The club's name Gamba comes from two words: the Japanese ganbaru (頑張る), meaning "to do your best" or "to stand firm" and the Italian word "gamba" which means "leg". Also the name in another Italian expression, "essere in gamba", means "be smart, intelligent''.
It was founded in 1980 as Matsushita Electric SC by the mononymous company, which is now known as Panasonic, in Nara Prefecture and became a member of the Japan Soccer League. It was mostly made of remaining players and staff of the defunct Yanmar Club, the former B-team of Yanmar Diesel SC, later to be known as Cerezo Osaka. Gamba Osaka was an original member ("Original Ten") of the first J.League season. Due to participation in the J League, the club name was changed to Panasonic Gamba Osaka in 1992.
In 1996, the club dropped the name Panasonic from its front while its corporate name was changed from "Matsushita Soccer Club Co., Ltd." to "Gamba Osaka Co., Ltd."
In 2005, the club claimed its first J.League championship on a dramatic final day during which any of five clubs could have claimed the championship. Gamba needed to win, and have cross town rivals Cerezo Osaka draw or lose. Gamba defeated a valiant Kawasaki Frontale 4–2, while victory was snatched from Cerezo by a last-minute FC Tokyo equalizer. In an AFC Champions League match in 2006, Gamba Osaka defeated Vietnamese side Da Nang FC in a record-equaling victory of 15–0. In the 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship final, Gamba Osaka beat MLS club Houston Dynamo 6–1 to win the tournament, in large part because of Bare who scored 4 goals in the final (5 in all at the tournament). After his brilliant display and having just scored 10 goals in 18 games for Gamba in the domestic league, he was sold to UAE club Al-Ahli for 1 billion yen.
In October 2008, Gamba for the first time in their history, reached the final of the AFC Champions League after defeating fellow Japanese league rivals Urawa Red Diamonds 4–2 on aggregate after a 1–1 draw at home in the first leg, Gamba registered one of the most historic comebacks in Champions League history when they came back from being behind 1–0 before half time to win 1–3 with all goals scored in the second half at Saitama. Gamba Osaka went on to win the 2008 AFC Champions League title after winning 5–0 on aggregate against the giant-killing Australian club Adelaide United in the Final. They became the fifth Japanese club to win the maximum Asian title, after Urawa, Júbilo Iwata, then-company-affiliated Yomiuri (now Tokyo Verdy), and Furukawa Electric (now JEF United Ichihara Chiba).
In December 2008, Gamba made it to the semi-finals of the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup after beating Australian club Adelaide United 1–0. They were beaten in the semi-finals by 2007–08 Premier League and 2007–08 UEFA Champions League winners Manchester United. On 21 December 2008, they played for third place against Mexican side Pachuca with Gamba winning the match 1–0.
In December 2012, Gamba were relegated from Division 1 after losing 2–1 to Júbilo Iwata. Gamba finished 17th in the league despite scoring more goals than any other club, including Champion Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Ultimately, although Gamba had a positive goal difference at the end of the season, Gamba could not overcome their poor defense, which allowed the second most goals in Division 1 after Consadole Sapporo. This also made Gamba Osaka the fastest club to suffer relegation from the top division after winning the AFC Champion's League and playing in the FIFA Club World Cup, the relegation being only four years later. However, the club bounced back in the 2013 season, becoming the J2 Champion and directly promoting to Division 1 again after only one season.
In 2014, Gamba won the Division 1 title, a year after winning the second division, becoming the second club in the professional era to achieve this feat (after Kashiwa Reysol in 2011). That same year, Gamba also became the second club to win the domestic treble (after Kashima Antlers in 2000), by winning the J.League Cup and the Emperor's Cup as well.
In 2015 saw Gamba Osaka return to the AFC Champions League for the first time since 2012, where they advanced to the semi-finals before being eliminated by The Tournament Winner and 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Fourth Place Guangzhou Evergrande 1–2 on aggregate. Domestically, Gamba Osaka advanced to the final of both the J.League Cup and the J1 League Championship, losing to Kashima Antlers 0–3 and Club World Cup Third Place Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3–4 respectively. Gamba Osaka successfully defended their status as Emperor's Cup winners, defeating Urawa Red Diamonds 2–1.