Adelaide United still qualified for the FIFA World Club Cup despite coming undone 5-0 on aggregate against Japanese J-League side Gamba Osaka in the Asian Champions League Final.

It took Gamba Osaka only four minutes to kill off Adelaide United’s flickering hopes of an AFC Champions League miracle.

The Japanese stylists went on to record a 2-0 victory on the night at a packed Hindmarsh Stadium that gave them the coveted trophy for the first time.

Gamba’s 5-0 aggregate triumph was comprehensive and unequivocal and showed the glaring disparity in technique and style between the two sides.

Whereas Adelaide generally huffed and puffed and resorted to long balls into the penalty box, Gamba gave an ample demonstration of modern, all-purpose football that at times was a delight to watch.

Clearly Asia has a worthy club champion, probably more entertaining if not more accomplished than last year’s winners Urawa Reds.

"Gamba are a very good and classy side. Over the two legs they were the better team. They were technically, tactically and physically superior to us," Reds coach Aurelio Vidmar graciously conceded later.

"It was a real dagger to the heart to concede after four minutes and it was absolutely impossible after that.

"But full credit to our boys especially in the second half. Down and out, they still played with a lot of pride and passion and I think that is extremely important."

Captain Travis Dodd admitted it was going to be hard for the team to pick itself up in the A-League after such a deflating experience in the two-legged final.

"We play again in three days (against Central Coast) and it will be a good test," Dodd said.

"It has been a long and demanding journey and to lose a final like that was disappointing but we have to get on with it. We don't have a choice."

Dodd said facing such a skilful side as Osaka felt like "playing against 15 men".

"Their movement off the ball was unbelievable," he said. "They are easily the best team we have played in the competition."

Big Brazilian striker Lucas set his seal on the night when he pounced on a rebound after rookie goalkeeper Mark Birighitti, deputising for suspended Eugene Galekovic, had parried a stinging shot from Hayato Sasaki.

The goal silenced most of the sellout 17,000 crowd except for a few hundred Gamba fans but it got worse 11 minutes later when Gamba scored again.

Midfielder Takahiro Futugawa found Lucas with a superb through ball into space and the big boy from Brazil waited for Birighitti to commit himself before sliding the ball home with ease.

It was not the start Adelaide, their fans or the game itself needed.

The Reds were clearly shellshocked but they picked themselves up commendably and for a while strung a few decent passes together.

Lone striker Cristiano actually managed to find the net with a firm header for the biggest cheer of the night but the fans were denied even this little satisfaction because the goal was disallowed for offside.

There was only pride left for Adelaide to play for in the second half and they could have halved the deficit on the night when Kristian Sarkies narrowly failed to get on the end of a low cross across the face of goal from captain Travis Dodd, who ran himself into the ground on a thankless and frustrating night.

Adelaide sought desperately to reward their loyal fans with a consolation goal but try as they might they could not break down a Gamba defence well marshalled by central defenders Sota Nakazawa and Satoshi Yamaguchi.

After weathering Adelaide’s spirited if disjointed storm, Gamba regathered their hold on the proceedings and were able to coast home in comfort.

Gamba coach Akira Nishino said he thought his side had made a strong claim for the trophy after the first leg in Osaka that yielded a commanding 3-0 lead.

"The first leg certainly gave us a lot of confidence," Nishino said.

"But we were never 100 per cent sure of victory."

SBS