Yu Hasegawa scored the winner and Yuki Omoto added another in second-half injury time as second-division V-Varen Nagasaki booked a spot in the Levain Cup playoff round with a 3-2 win over J1 side Yokohama F Marinos on Wednesday.
V-Varen, back in the second division this year after playing its first season in J1 last year, scored the opener through Masakazu Yoshioka in the seventh minute at a raucous Transcosmos Stadium.
With 18 minutes left in regulation, Jun Amano equalized for the visitors, but V-Varen, which began the day last in Group A, bounced back to take second place in the group and advance to the playoffs.
Consadole Sapporo sealed top spot in the group with a 2-2 draw at Shonan Bellmare.
In Group B, leaders Vegalta Sendai drew 1-1 at Kashiwa Reysol, while FC Tokyo, already assured a second-place finish, won 1-0 at Sagan Tosu.
Cerezo Osaka snagged the top spot in Group C with a 2-0 win at home over surprise package Oita Trinita, while Nagoya Grampus joined them in the playoffs with a 3-1 win at Vissel Kobe.
Gamba Osaka won Group D, finishing with a scoreless draw at Matsumoto Yamaga, while Jubilo Iwata finished second after losing their Shizuoka derby with Shimizu S-Pulse 2-0.