恒大三年内第二次闯进亚冠决赛

In Semi-Finals of the AFC Champions League, the 2013 winners and current CSL title-holders, Guangzhou Evergrande traveled to Japan to face Gamba Osaka in the second leg of their showdown.

Guangzhou came into the match holding a slim advantage after taking the first leg 2-1 at home, but also full of confidence, having not lost a match in any competition since Luiz Felipe Scolari took control of the club in May.

A draw is all Evergrande would need from this match in Osaka to advance to the Final of Asia's premier club competition.

Neither side generates much of an attack in the first-half, but Guangzhou have the best chance in the 43rd minute with this strike by Elkeson that's well saved by Masaaki Higashiguchi. The Brazilian looking for the far side, but denied as the half ends scoreless.

After the restart, Elkeson has another opportunity to break the deadlock in the 52nd minute, but curls his shot just over the crossbar from a great position.

There is some controversy in the 64th minute when a Gamba corner-kick is knocked away by Guangzhou's Paulinho. Osaka's Keisuke Iwashita pleads for a handball by the former Brazil international, and rightly so judging by the replay. It certainly strikes Paulinho's hand, but he gets away with it.

With Japan boss Vahid Halilhodzic watching from his box, Samurai Blue international Takashi Usami has a chance in the 71st minute, but his shot flies just wide of the far post.

Usami then has another opportunity in the 84th, but his drive goes just wide of the far post, as Gamba fail again to score the goal that would send them to the Final.

And the hosts would never get that elusive winner, as the final whistle blows on a 0-0 draw that is enough to send Scolari's Evergrande into the AFC Champions League Final, with a 2-1 aggregate victory.