Urawa Reds and Gamba Osaka booked their places in Saturday’s J.League YBC Levain Cup Final after triumphing in their respective semi-final matchups.

Playing for a chance to contest the final in their home stadium, the Reds earned an emphatic 3-1 victory over FC Tokyo thanks to Shinzo Koroki’s hat-trick in the 24th, 38th, and 53rd minutes. 

New Hero Award candidate Shoya Nakajima scored for Tokyo in the 81st minute, but it was too little, too late for the capital side who fell 5-2 on aggregate.

At Nissan Stadium, it was Yokohama F. Marinos who took the lead in the 56th minute thanks to Sho Ito’s effort, but Yasuhito Endo’s spirited response from close range allowed Gamba to advance to their third straight final.

The Saitama Stadium showdown between two of the league’s co-founders will kick off on Saturday, October 15 at 13:00 JST.