Substitute Lucas powered home a close range header to snatch all three points for the Japanese outfit and leave Ernie Merrick's men with a mountain to climb.
It had all started so well for the Victory with Danny Allsopp rifling the home side in front after just four minutes. Gamba equalised with a stunning goal before then going in front through Bare. Back came Melbourne to level through Roddy Vargas and when Allsopp headed in Celeski's free-kick it looked like celebration time. It wasn't to be and after Yamaguchi headed in for 3-3 it was left to Lucas to have the final word.

Full-Time. Heartbreak for Ernie Merrick's men. It's finished 4-3 to Gamba. Wonderful entertainment but that will be scant consolation for the Victory players and their supporters.

90 Goal Disaster for the Victory. Yasuda's cross from the left is met on the left edge of the six yard box by Lucas and he thunders a header past Theoklitos into the back of the net.

89 A great chance for the Japanese side. Thankfully for Melbourne the shot flies just wide of the left post.

88 Patafta tries to curl the ball over the keeper who claws it away at the right post. A decent chance.

87 Kemp chests down Gamba cross from the left and calmly whacks the ball clear.

86 Hashimoto stays strong to muscle Allsopp out of possession on the edge of the Gamba area.

85 Pantelidis fouled. Quick free-kick down the left but Ward unable to get in a delivery.

84 Allsopp caught offside as he races through. A close call.

82 Melbourne's final change. Off goes Celeski, on comes Daniel Vasilevski.

82 Ryall's crossfield ball from left to right is straight to nobody.

81 Merrick makes a change. Off goes Caceres to be replaced by young Kaz Patafta.

80 Lucas tees up Terada but his shot from 20 metres whistles over the top.

79 Theoklitos races out to hack clear from Lucas on the left edge of his box.

78 Corner down the left for the Victory after great work from Kemp. Celeski's delivery is grasped at the far post by the Gamba keeper.

76 Some neat passing triangles by the visitors but they end up conceding a cheap throw in down the left midway inside the Melbourne half.

74 You sense there's still more goals in this and Gamba are certainly not settling for a point. Terada's cross from the right deflects off Broxham and through to Theoklitos.

73 Yet another corner for the visitors. It comes to nothing and Allsopp is able to clear the danger.

72 Important tackle by Celeski to prevent a shooting opportunity.

71 Caceres curls weak effort wide of the left post.

70 Twenty minutes to go and who knows how this is going to end up. Great entertainment but a nightmare if you're a coach.

69 Goal. It's 3-3. Endo's corner from the right is headed in via the left post by skipper Yamaguchi.

68 Kemp concedes a corner. Danger.

67 Long ball aimed towards Ward but up goes the offside flag.

65 Goal Celeski's inswinging free-kick from the left is met by Allsopp who loops a header into the top right hand corner.

64 Another great chance for the visitors. Bare finds the right side-netting when he really should have scored. Theoklitos does well to narrow the angle.

62 Gamba substitution. Off goes Yamazaki to be replaced by Terada.

61 Bare is denied an almost certain goal by a wonderful block from Muscat. The corner played out to Futagawa but his weak effort is easily cleared.

60 Celeski surges forward but can't quite squeeze the ball through to Allsopp.

58 Muscat shields the ball out for a goalkick under pressure from Yamazaki.

57 Broxham closes down Endo just as he is about to let fly from 25 metres.

56 Foul by Pantelidis but Gamba unable to make anything of the free-kick.

55 Important interception from Muscat on the edge of the Victory area. Broxham earns a free-kick as he pushes out.

53 Victory free-kick. Celeski's inswinger is poor and easily headed clear. Broxham reacts to the loose ball but his shot is high and wide.

52 Another close shave. Bare meets a cross from the left and it's a great challenge by Vargas to prevent him heading into an empty net.

51 Broxham picks out Celeski to his right but again the former Perth Glory man can't make anything of it.

50 Yamazaki crashes a fierce strike just wide of the right post after an impressive turn of speed. It's terrific end to end stuff.

48 Allsopp gets on end of a tremendous low left wing cross from Kemp but his shot flies over the crossbar.

47 Broxham flicks the ball towards Allsopp but the visitors intercept and thump the ball clear.

46 Endo tries to skip through the home defence but robbed on the edge of the area.

46 A change for the visitors as striker Lucas comes on to replace Mizumoto.

HALF-TIME: 2-2. What a terrific 45 minutes of Asian Champions League football. Four goals and we could have had a few more. Victory off to a great start, pegged back by a wonder goal, then behind only to produce an instant reply from Roddy Vargas. Certainly the attacking encounter Ernie Merrick had predicted. But should it be 3-2 to Gamba at the break? Further analysis required of the header that bounced off the crossbar.

There will be two minutes of added time at the end of a pulsating first half.

45 Terrific stop to his right by Theoklitos to keep out low drive from Bare.

44 Almost 3-2 to the visitors. A diving header thunders back off the underside off the bar. Looked very, very close.

43 Important interception on the edge of his own box by Ryall. Amid all the goals, Ernie Merrick replaced Pace with Pantelidis.

41 Goal An instant reply from the Victory. Caceres whips in a free-kick from the right and there's Roddy Vargas to plant a header past Fujigaya.

39 Goal Endo's corner from the left is met at the near post by Bare and he flicks the ball past Theoklitos for a well-worked goal.

38 Another Gamba effort not too far wide of the target. Defected for a corner.

38 Ward picks out Allsopp but little support on the edge of the box and the visiting
37 Big Bare almost bulldozes his way through the Victory defence but is crowded out.

36 Vargas' long ball towards Ward is easily headed clear.

34 Bare's free-kick has the power but not the accuracy as Gamba look to further quieten the home supporters.

33 So close to a Victory goal. Caceres' cross from the right flies across the face of the goal just too far ahead of the incoming Allsopp.

32 Goal. The visitors are level through an absolutely stunning strike. Futagawa lets fly from long distance and the ball rockets past Theoklitos into the top left hand corner.

31 Endo rifles goalwards from a central position but Pace comes across to make a terrific block. A really dangerous moment for the home side.

30 Kemp surges down the left, cross is half cleared and Celeski's attempted chip is easily gathered by the keeper.

28 Vargas challenge halts Gamba's progress down the right flank. The visitors then penalised for a foul throw.

27 Last-gasp challenge from Myojin prevents Broxham from getting in a shot on goal inside the area. Celeski's shot from the resulting corner is cleared by the visitors.

26 Broxham's ball out to the left flank zips off the turf and straight out for a goal kick.

25 Ward's ball forward has just a little bit too much on it and rolls straight through to Fujigaya.

24 Gamba force a throw down the right, push towards the corner flag but Victory are able to clear the danger.

23 Vital clearing header and challenge by Muscat as he denies Bare a clear opportunity at the near post. All this following a dangerous ball in from the right.

21 Broxham plays great ball out to Caceres on the right wing. He cuts in but perhaps waits a little too long to pull the trigger and his shot inside the area is blocked.

20 The visitors are really coming into this encounter. Theoklitos gets down to his left to hold on to weak strike from Bare.

18 Caceres arrows over a cross from the right but it's just a bit to high for Ward to gather inside the box.

17 Ball thuds off Kemp and out for a Gamba corner down the right. Theoklitos punches clear and Bare shot then hits Muscat and out for another corner. The ball drops for Yamaguchi on the edge of the box and he rifles wide of the right post. Melbourne not dealing too well with these set pieces.

16 Muscat finds Caceres down the right but the Mariners-bound player squanders possession.

14 A Gamba corner down the left hand side. Whipped in by Endo and headed clear. The visitors pounce on the loose ball but the eventual strike is high and wide.

13 Muscat plays ball over the top to Allsopp, he brings the ball down well inside the area but his low cross is cleared.

12 Short corner played back and whipped in to the near post but it's easily gathered by Theoklitos.

11 Ryall makes a good defensive block at the other end as Gamba win a corner down the right.

10 Allsopp shot deflects off a Japanese defender and flicks out for a Victory corner.

9 Muscat plays in Ward down the left, he keeps the ball in by the left corner flag but the cross is headed clear.

7 Yamaguchi makes crucial interception to prevent Kemp bursting into the box for a shot on goal.

4 Goal! Danny Allsopp pounces to rifle the ball past the Osaka keeper after initial strike from Caceres. The perfect start for the Victory.

Apologies - one or two technical difficulties in the first couple of minutes but no goals still.

23 seconds Ward tees up Celeski to his right but his first touch is poor and he can't force the ball past Fujigaya.

Ernie Merrick, minus the injured Archie Thompson, has plumped for the following players to face Gamba Osaka at the Telstra Dome this evening: Michael Theoklitos, Steven Pace, Matthew Kemp, Roddy Vargas, Sebastian Ryall, Kevin Muscat, Leigh Broxham, Billy Celeski, Adrian Caceres, Nick Ward, Danny Allsopp.