Gamba Osaka's Brazilian super-sub Lucas scored a 90th-minute winner in a 4-3 victory that left Melbourne Victory's Asian Champions League campaign hanging by a thread.

The Victory led twice in a pulsating clash at Telstra Dome but were left to rue some lax marking as the Japanese scored twice in the last 21 minutes for a deserved win.

Danny Allsopp made light of the absence of regular strike partner Archie Thompson (knee) to score twice for Melbourne, but his efforts were in vain.

The Victory now need to take maximum points from their return match in Osaka on April 23 to have any chance of topping the group and advancing to the knockout stage.

It was Gamba's second straight 4-3 ACL win, following a similar success against Korean side Chunnam Dragons three weeks ago.

The Victory jumped out of the blocks, with midfielder Billy Celeski spurning a good scoring opportunity in the opening 60 seconds.

But the home crowd only had to wait another three minutes for the opening goal.

Adrian Caceres played a clever one-two with strike partner Allsopp before having his shot parried by Gamba keeper Yosuke Fujigaya.

But the rebound fell to Allsopp who drilled a low shot past the keeper.

By the halfway stage of the opening half, the Japanese team had hit their stride and they were rewarded with a spectacular equaliser in the 32nd minute.

Takahiro Futagawa smashed a 25m thunderbolt into the roof of the net, the second time in as many ACL matches that Victory goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos had been beaten from long range.

Osaka hit the front for the first time in the 39th minute, with big Brazilian striker Bare outjumping three Victory defenders at the near post before scoring with a header.

Melbourne got back on level terms at 2-2 two minutes later when defender Rody Vargas stooped to head a Caceres free kick past Fujigaya, although Allsopp appeared to foul a Gamba defender in the process.

There was still time for more drama before the interval, with Bare confident he had scored his second goal in the 44th minute, only for the officials to rule that his powerful header had bounced down onto the goal-line from the underside of the crossbar.

Melbourne absorbed some sustained pressure from the crack Japanese outfit early in the second half and were rewarded when Allsopp scored his second goal in the 66th minute.

Celeski whipped in an accurate free kick for the big striker, whose looping header evaded the Japanese keeper.

But this time the Victory only held the lead for three minutes before Gamba captain Satoshi Yamaguchi took advantage of some slack marking from a corner to score with a header for 3-3.

The Gamba hero was Lucas, who came on at halftime to join countryman Bare and Masato Yamazaki in a three-pronged attack.

With the match about to tick into injury time, he was on hand to head home a cross from Michihiro Yasuda for the winner.

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