Soccer-Holders Gamba edge Reds to reach J-League final

Nov 28 (Reuters) - Defending champions Gamba Osaka beat Urawa Red Diamonds 3-1 in a dramatic J-League championship semi-final on Saturday, scoring twice at the end of extra time moments after almost conceding a calamitous own goal. Gamba now take on 2012 and 2013 champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima for the title and will host the first leg on Wednesday before the second match next weekend at the Big Arch Stadium. It looked like the Reds would be going through to the final when, with the match locked at 1-1 in the 117th minute, Gamba defender Daiki Niwa chipped the ball back towards his own goal but over his goalkeeper Masaaki Higashiguchi. The ball, though, hit the post and a relieved Higashiguchi recovered and swept clear to start an electric five-pass move that ended with Hiroki Fujiharu volleying in a brilliant effort to put Gamba ahead. Brazilian striker Patric then added gloss to the victory by scoring a third in stoppage time as Gamba, who snuck into the three-team playoff on the final day of the season after FC Tokyo slipped up, stayed on course for another title. "We were all running out of energy but we all fought our way through," Fujiharu, celebrating his 27th birthday, was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "We were determined to win and I'm filled with joy. "I had one thing in my mind and that was to shoot and it turned out nicely. "We were behind on points during the season but this is a one-off game and we were up for it." Gamba had chased down the Reds last season en route to a domestic treble before the J-League opted to revamp the competition this year with a two league system and end of year playoffs to decide the winners. Hiroshima won the second-stage and advanced straight to the final courtesy of the best points total over the two 17-game campaigns, with the Reds, first stage winners, hosting Gamba on Saturday for the right to join them. Gamba, who finished 11 points behind Hiroshima in the overall standings, grabbed the opening goal when the Reds defence gifted Yasuyuki Konno far too much space and the midfielder had time to fire a low shot home in the 47th minute. The Reds, the 2006 champions, drew level in the 72nd minute through Zlatan Ljubijankic, the Slovenian substitute nodding in from close range after Ryota Moriwaki's header from a corner had hit the top of the crossbar. Higashiguchi then denied Yosuke Kashiwagi in the closing stages of regulation and also pushed a Yuki Muto header against the crossbar to force extra time. "The difference was paper thin but those (saves) make the difference in soccer. I had confidence even if the game was heading to penalties," said the goalkeeper. (Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)