Shuhei Akasaki hit the winner as the Kashima Antlers defeated Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 to advance to the semifinals of the Emperor's Cup on Saturday.
Akasaki struck with a clever finish in the 57th minute and goalkeeper Hitoshi Sogahata, one of the stars of Kashima's magical run to last week's Club World Cup final, saved a penalty soon after to help keep Kashima on course for a league and cup double.
Kashima will face the Yokohama F. Marinos in the semis at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium on Thursday. Jun Amano scored in the sixth minute of second-half injury time as Yokohama overcame defending champions Gamba Osaka 2-1 at Nissan Stadium.