Mitch Langerak was provided with a perfect send-off as Nagoya Grampus triumphed in a roller coaster Levain Cup final on Saturday, beating Albirex Niigata 5-4 on penalties after the teams battled to a 3-3 draw in front of a record crowd of 62,517 at National Stadium in Tokyo.
Grampus had led 2-0 at halftime and 3-2 in extra time but were pegged back on each occasion by a resilient Albirex. In the end, a five-for-five performance on spot kicks in the shootout delivered a second League Cup trophy for Kenta Hasegawa¡¯s side.
Goalkeeper Langerak, who is joining A-League side Melbourne Victory at the end of the current J. League season, was one of those to convert from 12 yards ¡ª just as he had done in the quarterfinal shootout win against Sanfrecce Hiroshima ¡ª and the Australian was understandably delighted to have brought his spell in Nagoya to an end with a trophy.
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