The 2012 J.League Cup, also known as the 2012 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup for sponsoring purposes, was the 37th edition of the most prestigious Japanese soccer league cup tournament and the 20th edition under the current J.League Cup format.
Kashima Antlers became the winners for two straight years and qualify for the 2013 Suruga Bank Championship.
Format Teams from the J.League Division 1 will take part in the tournament. FC Tokyo, Gamba Osaka, Kashiwa Reysol and Nagoya Grampus were given a bye to the quarter-finals due to qualification in the 2012 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
Standings
Group A TeamCerezo Osaka6402157+812Vegalta Sendai6402115+412Júbilo Iwata64021011−112Urawa Red Diamonds63031210+29Sagan Tosu6303816−89Sanfrecce Hiroshima6114811−34Kawasaki Frontale6114711−44
Group B TeamShimizu S-Pulse6501124+815Kashima Antlers6501105+515Albirex Niigata631265+110Yokohama F. Marinos612379−25Omiya Ardija6123710−35Consadole Sapporo6123611−55Vissel Kobe6114610−44
Results
Group A
Group B
Knock-out stage All times are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Quarter-finals
First leg
Second leg
Semifinals
First leg
Second leg
Final
Goalscorers RankNameTeamGoals1 Yuya OsakoKashima Antlers72 Genki OmaeShimizu S-Pulse5 Yoichiro KakitaniCerezo Osaka54 Leandro DominguesKashiwa Reysol4
References