Red Devils secure final spot(continued and end)
However, with 28 minutes on the clock United hit the front as Ryan Giggs swung in a corner from the right and Nemanja Vidic rose highest in the middle of the area to head home from eight yards out.
Anderson wasted a chance to double the lead when he failed to make proper contact with a fine Ronaldo ball in from the right flank, as United began to control proceedings.
They doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time as another Giggs flag-kick was headed home by Ronaldo.
Early in the second half goalscorer Vidic appeared to suffer a groin injury as he stretched to cut out a dangerous Yasuhito Endo ball into the area, but he recovered to continue.
Just past the hour van der Sar had to push away Endo's excellent free-kick from 25 yards, before Ryuji Bando fired the rebound narrowly wide of the far post.
Sixteen minutes from time Gamba Osaka pulled a goal back as the United defence opened up and Masato Yamazaki finished coolly from the edge of the area.
However, within a minute it was 3-1 to United as substitute Wayne Rooney made an instant impact by slotting home past the exposed Fujigaya.
With 78 minutes on the clock United opened up a three-goal cushion as the unmarked Darren Fletcher moved in to head home Patrice Evra's floated cross from the left.
Unbelievably it was 5-1 a minute later as Rooney strolled through to score his second goal, having only been on the pitch for five minutes.
The impressive Endo converted a late penalty, after Gary Neville had been penalised for handling a cross from the left flank, before Hideo Hashimoto rifled in a shot to make the final score 5-3.
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