2016 J.League Cup
| J.League YBC Levain Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Japan | 
| Teams | 18 | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Urawa Red Diamonds (2nd title) | 
| Runners-up | Gamba Osaka | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Toshiyuki Takagi (4 goals) | 
The 2016 J.League Cup (also known as the 2016 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, later changed to 2016 J.League YBC Levain Cup for sponsoring purposes) was the 41st edition of the most prestigious Japanese football league cup tournament and the 24th edition under the current J.League Cup format.
Format
Teams from the J1 League took part in the tournament. Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Gamba Osaka, Urawa Red Diamonds and FC Tokyo were given a bye to the quarter-finals due to qualification in the 2016 AFC Champions League. The remaining 14 teams started from the group stage, where they were divided into two groups of seven. The group winners and the runners-up of each group qualified for the quarter-final along with the four teams which qualified for the AFC Champions League.
Group stage
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | VIS | ARD | VEN | BEL | JÚB | ANT | GRA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vissel Kobe | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 16 | Knock-out stage | 1–1 | 4–1 | 4–0 | |||||
| 2 | Omiya Ardija | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 14 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||||||
| 3 | Ventforet Kofu | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 8 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | ||||||
| 4 | Shonan Bellmare | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 7 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | ||||||
| 5 | Júbilo Iwata | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 5 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | ||||||
| 6 | Kashima Antlers | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 4 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | ||||||
| 7 | Nagoya Grampus | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair-play points; 7) Draw.
Matches
| Kashima Antlers | 1–2 | Ventforet Kofu | 
|---|---|---|
| Yamamoto  | 
Report | Billy Celeski  Nilson  | 
| Júbilo Iwata | 1–2 | Vissel Kobe | 
|---|---|---|
| Saito  | 
Report | Pedro Júnior  Leandro  | 
| Vissel Kobe | 4–1 | Kashima Antlers | 
|---|---|---|
| Pedro Júnior  Watanabe Soma  | 
Report | Yamamoto  | 
| Nagoya Grampus | 1–3 | Kashima Antlers | 
|---|---|---|
| Noda  | 
Report | Endo  Caio Shoji  | 
| Vissel Kobe | 1–1 | Omiya Ardija | 
|---|---|---|
| Watanabe  | 
Report | Esaka  | 
| Kashima Antlers | 2–3 | Shonan Bellmare | 
|---|---|---|
| Nagaki  Doi  | 
Report | Otsuki  Hasegawa Hanato  | 
| Omiya Ardija | 1–0 | Júbilo Iwata | 
|---|---|---|
| Keisuke  | 
Report | 
| Ventforet Kofu | 0–2 | Vissel Kobe | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Tanaka  Seigou  | 
| Kashima Antlers | 1–1 | Júbilo Iwata | 
|---|---|---|
| Sugimoto  | 
Report | Fujita  | 
| Vissel Kobe | 4–0 | Nagoya Grampus | 
|---|---|---|
| Nakasaka  Watanabe Ishizu Takahashi  | 
Report | 
| Shonan Bellmare | 0–2 | Vissel Kobe | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Nakasaka  Fujita  | 
| Júbilo Iwata | 1–3 | Nagoya Grampus | 
|---|---|---|
| Bothroyd  | 
Report | Koyamatsu  Takeuchi Kawamata  | 
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FMA | AVI | FRO | REY | VEG | ALB | SAG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 11 | Knock-out stage | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | |||||
| 2 | Avispa Fukuoka | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 9 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 1–1 | ||||||
| 3 | Kawasaki Frontale | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 8 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 4 | Kashiwa Reysol | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 8 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | ||||||
| 5 | Vegalta Sendai | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 8 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | ||||||
| 6 | Albirex Niigata | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 7 | 1–1 | 0–5 | 1–0 | ||||||
| 7 | Sagan Tosu | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Fair-play points; 7) Draw.
Matches
| Vegalta Sendai | 1–0 | Albirex Niigata | 
|---|---|---|
| Enomoto  | 
Report | 
| Avispa Fukuoka | 2–2 | Kashiwa Reysol | 
|---|---|---|
| Jogo  Wellington  | 
Report | Wako  Tanaka  | 
| Albirex Niigata | 0–5 | Kawasaki Frontale | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Taniguchi  Kano Hashimoto  | 
| Sagan Tosu | 1–1 | Vegalta Sendai | 
|---|---|---|
| Baek Sung-dong  | 
Report | Kim Min-Tae  | 
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 1–3 | Kashiwa Reysol | 
|---|---|---|
| Togashi  | 
Report | Nakagawa  Masushima  | 
| Kashiwa Reysol | 2–1 | Kawasaki Frontale | 
|---|---|---|
| Diego Oliveira  Taketomi  | 
Report | Eduardo Neto  | 
| Kashiwa Reysol | 1–2 | Albirex Niigata | 
|---|---|---|
| Diego Oliveira  | 
Report | Ito  Kozuka  | 
| Sagan Tosu | 1–1 | Kawasaki Frontale | 
|---|---|---|
| Tomiyama  | 
Report | Kim Min-hyeok  | 
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 2–1 | Avispa Fukuoka | 
|---|---|---|
| Hyodo  Ito  | 
Report | Hirai  | 
| Kawasaki Frontale | 2–1 | Vegalta Sendai | 
|---|---|---|
| Otsuka  | 
Report | Ramon Lopes  | 
| Avispa Fukuoka | 1–1 | Sagan Tosu | 
|---|---|---|
| Hirai  | 
Report | Toyoda  | 
| Vegalta Sendai | 0–2 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Nakamura  Saito  | 
| Avispa Fukuoka | 4–2 | Albirex Niigata | 
|---|---|---|
| Kanamori  Hirai Jogo  | 
Report | Yamazaki  Suzuki  | 
| Sagan Tosu | 1–1 | Kashiwa Reysol | 
|---|---|---|
| Ikeda  | 
Report | Éderson  | 
Knock-out stage
All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| Yokohama F. Marinos (a) | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Omiya Ardija | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Gamba Osaka (a) | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Gamba Osaka | 1 | 6 | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| Gamba Osaka | 1 (4) | |||||||||||||||||
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2 | 4 | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| Vissel Kobe | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| FC Tokyo | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Avispa Fukuoka | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| FC Tokyo | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
First leg
| Omiya Ardija | 2–1 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 
|---|---|---|
| Mateus  Ienaga  | 
Report | Kanai  | 
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 1–1 | Gamba Osaka | 
|---|---|---|
| Shibasaki  | 
Report | Goya  | 
| Vissel Kobe | 1–2 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 
|---|---|---|
| Leandro  | 
Report | Takagi  Zlatan  | 
| FC Tokyo | 1–1 | Avispa Fukuoka | 
|---|---|---|
| Nakajima  | 
Report | Mishima  | 
Second leg
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 1–0 | Omiya Ardija | 
|---|---|---|
| Kayke  | 
Report | 
2–2 on aggregate. Yokohama F. Marinos won on away goals
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 4–0 | Vissel Kobe | 
|---|---|---|
| Takagi  Abe Lee  | 
Report | 
Urawa Red Diamonds won 6-1 on aggregate.
| Gamba Osaka | 6–3 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 
|---|---|---|
| Nagasawa  Niwa Ademilson Abe  | 
Report | Nogami  Morisaki Minagawa  | 
Gamba Osaka won 7-4 on aggregate.
| Avispa Fukuoka | 0–2 | FC Tokyo | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Tanabe  Takahashi  | 
FC Tokyo won 3-1 on aggregate.
Semi-finals
First leg
Second leg
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 1–1 | Gamba Osaka | 
|---|---|---|
| Ito  | 
Report | 
1–1 on aggregate. Gamba Osaka won on away goals
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 3–1 | FC Tokyo | 
|---|---|---|
| Koroki  | 
Report | 
Urawa Red Diamonds won 5-2 on aggregate.
Final
| Gamba Osaka | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Urawa Red Diamonds | 
|---|---|---|
| Ademilson  | 
||
| Penalties | ||
| Fujimoto  Konno Niwa Goya Endō  | 
4–5 | |
Top scorers
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 4 | |
| 2 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 3 | |
| Vissel Kobe | |||
| Vissel Kobe | |||
| Avispa Fukuoka | |||
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 
Updated to games played on 15 October 2016
Names of players in bold are still active.
Source: J. League Data