Holder JEF United Chiba, Yokohama F. Marinos and Kashima Antlers advanced to the semifinals of the J. League Nabisco Cup after winning their quarterfinal second-leg matches Thursday.
Jef United Chiba Midfielder Yuki Abe (6) celebrates with his teammates after beating Cerezo Osaka 3-2 in their Nabisco Cup quarterfinal match Thursday at Fukuda Denshi Arena in Chiba. JEF United advanced to the semifinals with an 8-4 aggregate score.
Chiba held off Cerezo Osaka 3-2 at home after the 5-2 away win Sunday, and Yokohama beat host Jubilo Iwata 2-0 for an aggregate score of 4-1. Kashima eliminated Gamba Osaka with a 2-0 away win after a scoreless draw in the first leg.
At Fukuda Denshi Arena, Chiba was on course for a comfortable win after a goal from Satoru Yamagishi and a brace from Austrian striker Mario Haas gave the home side a 3-0 lead by the half-hour mark before Cerezo marked.
Yokohama reached the last four for the second successive year with a goal in each half from Marques and substitute Tatsuhiko Kubo, who missed out on a spot in Japan's World Cup squad.
Three-time League Cup winner Kashima ousted Gamba, last year's runnerup, because of a second-half double from Alex Mineiro that sent the Ibaraki club into the semis for the first time in three years.
The semifinals will be played Sept. 2 and Oct. 4.