Yokohama FC executed a sensational turnaround to book their place in the 2025 J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP PRIME Round on Sunday, emerging as 5-4 victors on aggregate over Cerezo Osaka after a thrilling 4-0 win in their 2025 J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP Play-off Round 2nd leg.
C-Osaka came into the game with a commanding 4-1 lead after the 1st leg, but when goalkeeper Koki Fukui conceded a penalty and received a straight red card just before half-time Yokohama FC sensed their opportunity.
Kaito Mori converted the resultant spot kick in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, with Yuri Lara making it 2-0 on the night in the 84th minute and Musashi Suzuki sending the game into extra-time when he stroked in with one minute remaining.
The comeback was completed in the 104th minute, when Solomon Sakuragawa rose highest at a corner to head powerfully home and send Yokohama FC into the quarter-finals for the first time ever.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima also turned around a first-leg deficit to progress to the next round, beating Avispa Fukuoka 2-1 on the night and 4-3 on penalties after their tie ended as a 2-2 draw.
Shuto Nakano opened the scoring for Hiroshima in the 31st minute at EDION PEACE WING HIROSHIMA, tucking in a rebound after Fukuoka goalkeeper Yuma Obata had denied Sota Nakamura.
Nineteen minutes into the second half Nakamura was celebrating a goal of his own as a free-kick from deep traveled all the way in courtesy of a slight deflection, but Wellington struck back for Fukuoka with a header in the 72nd minute to make it 2-2 on aggregate.
That meant extra-time was required, and with neither team able to find the net again in the additional 30 minutes the contest went all the way to a penalty shoot-out, where Hiroshima edged things after Jeong Min Ki saved Wellington’s kick.
Elsewhere, Kashiwa Reysol wrapped up a 5-1 aggregate triumph over Tokyo Verdy with a 2-1 victory at Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium.
Itsuki Someno gave Tokyo-V the lead on the night with a crisp finish two minutes before half-time, but Masaki Watai drilled in to make it 1-1 five minutes into the second half and Yuki Kakita wrapped up the win for Kashiwa with a header in the 71st minute.
In the day’s other game, Jubilo Iwata defeated Shonan Bellmare 1-0 thanks to Rikiya Uehara’s superb 78th-minute free-kick, but that wasn’t enough to prevent Shonan advancing as 2-1 victors on aggregate.
