Vidmar’s side lost 2-0 at Hindmarsh Stadium on Wednesday evening as Gamba built on their 3-0 victory in the first leg in Osaka last week to ensure the trophy remained in Japan after Urawa Reds’ title-winning run in 2007.

And the former Socceroos striker was quick to compliment the J.League side, who won in Adelaide thanks to goals in the fourth and 15th minutes from Brazilian striker Lucas.

“They’re a very good side, a classy side,” said Vidmar. “There was a real dagger to the heart after four minutes, it was absolutely impossible after that.

“But full credit to our players. In the second half we were down and out and they went out there and played with a lot of pride and a lot of passion but over the two legs they were the better side.”

Adelaide needed a minor miracle at the start of play if they were to harbour any hope of becoming the first Australian team to win the competition following their heavy loss in the first leg, but Lucas’ close-range strike early on made it mission impossible for the A-League club.

The former FC Tokyo striker struck again on the quarter-hour mark to put the tie beyond the reach of Adelaide and ensure Gamba’s participation in next month’s FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Despite the nature of the defeat, Vidmar praised his team and in particular their battling display in the second half.

“They wanted to go out there and play for their pride,” he said. “I’m a little bit disappointed we couldn’t score a goal for the fans.

“We peppered it quite a bit in that second half and we had a lot of action in front of their goal but unfortunately we couldn’t get that goal.”

Vidmar complimented his team on their progress to the final and stressed he was keen for his players to take as much from the experience as possible.

“There are always a lot of football lessons we can learn,” he said. “We have done it the hard way, with a lack of resources compared to the other teams.

“We were probably underdogs going into every game except the ones against the Vietnamese team (Binh Duong) in the first round.

“But we have done exceptionally well to get to the final, it was just that Gamba took the game to a different level - a level we are not used to - over the two legs. So that’s something we can strive for.

“They were better physically, better technically and in all aspects of the game.”