2008 J.League Cup
# 2008 J.League Cup

The 2008 edition of the J. League Cup, officially the 2008 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, sponsored by Nabisco began on March 20. The top team in each of the four qualifying group automatically qualified for the quarter-finals along with the best two remaining runners-up. Both Gamba Osaka and Kashima Antlers received a bye to the quarter-final stage due to their participation in the group stage of the Asian Champions League.

Oita Trinita defeated Shimizu S-Pulse 2–0 in the final on November 1 at the Tokyo National Stadium. They qualified for the 2009 Pan-Pacific Championship and the 2009 Suruga Bank Championship.

## Group stage

### Group A

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Nagoya Grampus | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 15 |
| Vissel Kobe | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Kyoto Sanga FC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 2 |
| Date | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| March 20, 2008 | Nagoya Grampus | 0–1 | Kyoto Sanga |
| March 20, 2008 | Urawa Reds | 0–1 | Vissel Kobe |
| March 23, 2008 | Vissel Kobe | 0–1 | Nagoya Grampus |
| March 23, 2008 | Kyoto Sanga | 3–3 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| April 16, 2008 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1–1 | Kyoto Sanga |
| April 16, 2008 | Nagoya Grampus | 2–0 | Vissel Kobe |
| May 25, 2008 | Kyoto Sanga | 0–1 | Vissel Kobe |
| May 25, 2008 | Nagoya Grampus | 4–2 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| May 31, 2008 | Kyoto Sanga | 1–2 | Nagoya Grampus |
| May 31, 2008 | Vissel Kobe | 2–1 | Urawa Red Diamonds |
| June 8, 2008 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 1–5 | Nagoya Grampus |
| June 8, 2008 | Vissel Kobe | 1–1 | Kyoto Sanga |

### Group B

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 11 |
| FC Tokyo | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 11 |
| Júbilo Iwata | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 10 |
| Tokyo Verdy | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 17 | −15 | 1 |
| Date | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| March 20, 2008 | Tokyo Verdy | 0–2 | Jubilo Iwata |
| March 20, 2008 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 3–1 | FC Tokyo |
| March 23, 2008 | Jubilo Iwata | 0–2 | FC Tokyo |
| March 23, 2008 | Tokyo Verdy | 0–0 | Shimizu S-Pulse |
| April 16, 2008 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 5–0 | Tokyo Verdy |
| April 16, 2008 | FC Tokyo | 1–1 | Jubilo Iwata |
| May 25, 2008 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 4–2 | Jubilo Iwata |
| May 25, 2008 | FC Tokyo | 3–0 | Tokyo Verdy |
| May 31, 2008 | FC Tokyo | 1–1 | Shimizu S-Pulse |
| May 31, 2008 | Jubilo Iwata | 3–0 | Tokyo Verdy |
| June 8, 2008 | Tokyo Verdy | 2–4 | FC Tokyo |
| June 8, 2008 | Jubilo Iwata | 2–0 | Shimizu S-Pulse |

### Group C

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| JEF United Chiba | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 12 |
| Kashiwa Reysol | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 9 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 6 |
| Consadole Sapporo | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 5 |
| Date | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| March 20, 2008 | Kawasaki Frontale | 0–2 | JEF United |
| March 20, 2008 | Kashiwa Reysol | 1–1 | Consadole Sapporo |
| March 23, 2008 | Consadole Sapporo | 2–1 | Kawasaki Frontale |
| March 23, 2008 | JEF United | 1–1 | Kashiwa Reysol |
| April 16, 2008 | JEF United | 0–0 | Consadole Sapporo |
| April 16, 2008 | Kawasaki Frontale | 3–0 | Kashiwa Reysol |
| May 25, 2008 | Consadole Sapporo | 1–2 | JEF United |
| May 25, 2008 | Kashiwa Reysol | 3–1 | Kawasaki Frontale |
| May 31, 2008 | Kawasaki Frontale | 2–0 | Consadole Sapporo |
| May 31, 2008 | Kashiwa Reysol | 1–1 | JEF United |
| June 8, 2008 | Consadole Sapporo | 0–3 | Kashiwa Reysol |
| June 8, 2008 | JEF United | 3–2 | Kawasaki Frontale |

### Group D

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 12 |
| Oita Trinita | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 11 |
| Albirex Niigata | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 4 |
| Omiya Ardija | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 3 |
| Date | Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| March 20, 2008 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 1–0 | Oita Trinita |
| March 20, 2008 | Albirex Niigata | 2–2 | Omiya Ardija |
| March 23, 2008 | Omiya Ardija | 0–0 | Yokohama F. Marinos |
| March 23, 2008 | Oita Trinita | 3–0 | Albirex Niigata |
| April 16, 2008 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 4–0 | Omiya Ardija |
| April 16, 2008 | Albirex Niigata | 1–1 | Oita Trinita |
| May 25, 2008 | Omiya Ardija | 1–2 | Oita Trinita |
| May 25, 2008 | Yokohama F. Marinos | 0–0 | Albirex Niigata |
| May 31, 2008 | Omiya Ardija | 1–1 | Albirex Niigata |
| May 31, 2008 | Oita Trinita | 2–2 | Yokohama F. Marinos |
| June 8, 2008 | Albirex Niigata | 0–1 | Yokohama F. Marinos |
| June 8, 2008 | Oita Trinita | 1–0 | Omiya Ardija |

## Knockout stage

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| JEF United Chiba | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | | | |
| Nagoya Grampus | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | |
| Nagoya Grampus | 1 | 1 | 2 | Nagoya Grampus | 1 | 0 | 1 | | |
| | | | | Oita Trinita | 1 | 1 | 2 | | |
| FC Tokyo | 1 | 1 | 2 | Oita Trinita | 1 | 1 | 2 | | |
| Oita Trinita | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | | |
| Oita Trinita | 2 | 1 | 3 | | | | | Oita Trinita | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | Shimizu S-Pulse | 0 |
| Kashima Antlers | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | Shimizu S-Pulse | 0 |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 0 | 2 | 2 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 1 | 3 | 4 | | |
| | | | | Gamba Osaka | 1 | 2 | 3 | | |
| Gamba Osaka | 1 | 1 | 2 | Gamba Osaka | 1 | 2 | 3 | | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | |

### Quarter-finals

**Second leg**

Gamba Osaka advances to the semi-finals on Away goals rule.

### Final

Oita Trinita: :

| GK | 16 | Seigo Shimokawa | 85' |
| - | - | - | - |
| RB | 4 | Yuki Fukaya |
| CB | 6 | Masato Morishige |
| LB | 22 | Taikai Uemoto | 33' |
| DM | 3 | Roberto |
| DM | 5 | Edmilson |
| RM | 20 | Daisuke Takahashi |
| LM | 33 | Yoshiaki Fujita | | 84' 89' |
| AM | 8 | Mu Kanazaki | 89' |
| CF | 10 | Ueslei |
| CF | 13 | Daiki Takamatsu (c) | 82' |
| Substitutes: |||
| GK | 29 | Keisuke Shimizu |
| DF | 25 | Hiroyuki Kobayashi | 89' |
| MF | 2 | Ryo Kobayashi |
| MF | 7 | Teppei Nishiyama | 89' |
| MF | 14 | Akihiro Ienaga |
| FW | 18 | Hiroshi Kiyotake |
| FW | 9 | Yasuhito Morishima | 82' |
| Manager: |||
| Chamusca ||||

Shimizu S-Pulse: :

| GK | 29 | Kaito Yamamoto |
| - | - | - |
| RB | 5 | Keisuke Iwashita |
| CB | 4 | Kazumichi Takagi (c) | 74' |
| CB | 26 | Naoki Aoyama |
| LB | 2 | Arata Kodama | 71' |
| RM | 28 | Masaki Yamamoto | 71' |
| CM | 7 | Teruyoshi Ito | |
| AM | 8 | Takuma Edamura | 82' |
| LM | 13 | Akihiro Hyodo |
| CF | 19 | Kazuki Hara | 89' |
| CF | 23 | Shinji Okazaki |
| Substitutes: |||
| GK | 21 | Yohei Nishibe |
| DF | 3 | Takahiro Yamanishi |
| DF | 25 | Daisuke Ichikawa | | 71' |
| MF | 16 | Takuya Honda |
| MF | 6 | Marcos Paulo | | 71' |
| FW | 11 | Mitsuhiro Toda |
| FW | 9 | Takuro Yajima | | 82' |
| Manager: |||
| Kenta Hasegawa ||||

## Awards

* MVP: Daiki Takamatsu (Oita Trinita)
* Top Scorer: Keita Sugimoto (Nagoya Grampus)
* New Hero Prize: Mu Kanazaki (Oita Trinita)
