Japan international Shusaku Nishikawa produced three clutch saves in the shootout as J. League champion Sanfrecce Hiroshima reached the Emperor's Cup final with a 5-4 victory on penalties over FC Tokyo on Sunday.

With Sanfrecce down 3-1 in the shootout following a 0-0 draw over 120 minutes, Nishikawa — who also converted his team's fourth penalty — stopped Hirotaka Mita, Ariajasuru Hasegawa and Naohiro Ishikawa before Gakuto Notsuda hit the winning spot kick for Hajime Moriyasu's men.

Hiroshima stayed on course for the double and as fate would have it, will face league runnerup Yokohama F. Marinos in the New Year's Day classic, which will be held at the National Stadium for the last time before the ground undergoes renovation for the 2020 Olympics.