Mitch Langerak was provided with a perfect send-off as Nagoya Grampus triumphed in a roller coaster Levain Cup final on Saturday, beating Albirex Niigata 5-4 on penalties after the teams battled to a 3-3 draw in front of a record crowd of 62,517 at National Stadium in Tokyo.
Grampus had led 2-0 at halftime and 3-2 in extra time but were pegged back on each occasion by a resilient Albirex. In the end, a five-for-five performance on spot kicks in the shootout delivered a second League Cup trophy for Kenta Hasegawa’s side.
Goalkeeper Langerak, who is joining A-League side Melbourne Victory at the end of the current J. League season, was one of those to convert from 12 yards — just as he had done in the quarterfinal shootout win against Sanfrecce Hiroshima — and the Australian was understandably delighted to have brought his spell in Nagoya to an end with a trophy.
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