Vissel Kobe maintained their perfect record in Group B with a come-from-behind 2-1 win at home against Ventforet Kofu in the YBC Levain Cup on Wednesday night.
Kobe, which has gone off the rails in the league and failed to win its last four matches, fell behind when veteran defender Yukio Tsuchiya headed in Yuki Hashizume's corner after 24 minutes at Noevir Stadium.
But Seigo Kobayashi leveled when he swept home two minutes before the break and Junya Tanaka sealed Kobe's fourth straight win in the competition when he diverted home a shot from teammate Yuya Nakasaka midway through the second half.
Kobe top the group with 12 points, one ahead of Cerezo Osaka, which has played a game more. Cerezo won 1-0 at home to Albirex Niigata and third-placed Sanfrecce Hiroshima edged visiting Sagan Tosu by the same scoreline.
In Group A, Vegalta Sendai stayed top on 10 points after a 1-1 draw at home to Kashiwa Reysol, while FC Tokyo is a point behind in second after winning a 4-3 thriller at home against Omiya Ardija. Jubilo Iwata is third after a 4-2 win at local rival Shimizu S-Pulse.