FC Tokyo denied Gamba Osaka the chance to go level on points with J. League leaders Kashima Antlers with a battling 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.
Gamba striker Lucas returned to haunt his old teammates with a 7th-minute opening goal at National Stadium, but Tokyo responded immediately as Naohiro Ishikawa's hard running and creative verve took the game to the visitors.
Yohei Tokunaga hit a deserved equalizer from outside the box in the 20th minute, and although Gamba laid siege to the Tokyo goal late in the match, the home side held firm to claim a point. Antlers went down 2-1 to Kyoto Sanga FC earlier on Wednesday night, and Gamba manager Akira Nishino admitted his side was not in the best condition to join them at the top of the table.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.