2008 AFC Champions League final

AFC Champions League
Company type	Football competition
Industry	Sports
Founded	1967
Headquarters	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Area served	Asia
Owner	Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Website	https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-champions-league/

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article 2008 AFC Champions League final, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

The 2008 AFC Champions League Final was contested over two matches to decide the premier club team in Asian football for 2008. Gamba Osaka emerged victorious against Adelaide United with a combined score of 5–0. The initial leg took place on 5 November at the Osaka Expo '70 Stadium in Japan, followed by the second leg on 12 November at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, Australia.

This final was notable as it featured an Australian team for the first time and marked the second year in a row with a Japanese side reaching the final. Gamba Osaka received a prize of US$600,000 and secured a spot in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, where they were defeated in the semi-finals by Manchester United. Adelaide United also participated in the Club World Cup, filling the host nation's usual slot, but they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Gamba Osaka.

Format

The final adhered to the established two-legged structure used throughout the tournament. The away goals rule was applied if teams were level on aggregate. Should scores remain tied after that, extra time would be played, followed by a penalty shootout if necessary to determine the winner.

Route to the final

Note: In all results below, the finalist's score is presented first (H: home; A: away).

Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Gamba Osaka		Round	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide United
Opponent	Result	Group stage	Opponent	Result
Template:Country data THA Template:Namespace detect showall Chonburi	1–1 (H)	Matchday 1	Template:Country data KOR Template:Namespace detect showall Pohang Steelers	2–0 (A)
Template:Country data KOR Template:Namespace detect showall Chunnam Dragons	4–3 (A)	Matchday 2	Template:Country data CHN Template:Namespace detect showall Changchun Yatai	0–0 (H)
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Melbourne Victory	4–3 (A)	Matchday 3	Template:Country data VIE Template:Namespace detect showall Bình Dương	2–1 (A)
Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Melbourne Victory	2–0 (H)	Matchday 4	Template:Country data VIE Template:Namespace detect showall Bình Dương	4–1 (H)
Template:Country data THA Template:Namespace detect showall Chonburi	2–0 (A)	Matchday 5	Template:Country data KOR Template:Namespace detect showall Pohang Steelers	1–0 (H)
Template:Country data KOR Template:Namespace detect showall Chunnam Dragons	1–1 (H)	Matchday 6	Template:Country data CHN Template:Namespace detect showall Changchun Yatai	0–0 (A)

Pos	Team	Pld	Pts
"1"	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Gamba Osaka	6	14

Pos	Team	Pld	Pts
"1"	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Adelaide United	6	14

|-bgcolor=#c1e0ff !Opponent!!Agg.!!1st leg!!2nd leg!!2008 AFC Champions League knockout stage!!Opponent!!Agg.!!1st leg!!2nd leg!! |- |align=left | Al-Karamah || 4–1 || 2–1 (A) || 2–0 (H) || bgcolor=#c1e0ff | Quarter-finals || align=left | Kashima Antlers || 2–1 || 1–1 (A) || 1–0 (H) |- |align=left | Urawa Red Diamonds || 4–2 || 1–1 (H) || 3–1 (A) || bgcolor=#c1e0ff | Semi-finals || align=left | Bunyodkor || 2–1 || 3–0 (H) || 0–1 (A) |}

Pre-final preparations

Adelaide United debated whether to host their home leg at a larger facility such as Adelaide Oval or AAMI Stadium, but ultimately decided to stay at their customary venue, Hindmarsh, despite its limited seating capacity.

Final overview

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First leg

Template:Football kit


GAMBA OSAKA:
GK	22	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Yosuke Fujigaya
DF	2	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Sota Nakazawa
DF	5	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Satoshi Yamaguchi (c)
DF	21	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Akira Kaji
MF	7	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Yasuhito Endo
MF	10	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Takahiro Futagawa
MF	13	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Michihiro Yasuda Template:Suboff
MF	16	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Hayato Sasaki Template:Suboff
MF	17	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Tomokazu Myojin Template:Suboff
MF	27	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall Hideo Hashimoto
FW	9	Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall Lucas Severino


ADELAIDE UNITED:
GK	30	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Eugene Galekovic Template:Yel
DF	4	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Angelo Costanzo Template:Yel
DF	6	Template:Country data BRA Template:Namespace detect showall Cássio José de Abreu Oliveira Template:Suboff
DF	14	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Scott Jamieson
DF	18	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Robert Cornthwaite (footballer)
DF	19	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Sasa Ognenovski
MF	7	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Lucas Pantelis Template:Suboff
MF	8	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Kristian Sarkies Template:Yel
MF	13	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Travis Dodd (c)

Second leg