Shimizu S-Pulse secured their passage into the quarterfinals of the Nabisco Cup with a 3-1 win over already eliminated Omiya Ardija on Saturday.
Group B rival and reigning champion Kashima also went through thanks to Albirex Niigata's failure to beat Yokohama F.Marinos, while it is still all to play for between Jubilo Iwata, Cerezo Osaka, Sagan Tosu and Vegalta Sendai in the race for the two berths from Group A.
S-Pulse, needing only a point from their penultimate Group B match to guarantee a top-two finish and a place in the last eight, preserved their 100 percent record from five games thanks to goals from Yasuhiro Hiraoka, Genki Omae and Ryohei Shirasaki at Nihondaira.