TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nagoya Grampus edged Albirex Niigata 5-4 on penalties after an enthralling 3-3 draw to secure their second League Cup and deny their opponents a first major title on Saturday.

Niigata scored a last-minute leveler to force extra-time after coming back from two goals down, then equalized again to take the epic encounter all the way to a shootout at Tokyo's National Stadium, where Nagoya lifted the trophy they first won in 2021.

The result was a fitting sendoff for longtime Nagoya keeper Mitch Langerak, who is departing the club at the end of the current J-League campaign to join Australia's Melbourne Victory.

"We have the best fans in Japan," the 36-year-old Australian said. "In front of my family, friends and these fans, I had the feeling we were going to win this."

With two of the country's most ardent fan bases giving raucous support from long before kickoff, it was possession-based Niigata who showed plenty of early promise under the rain in front of 62,517.

But veteran Nagoya forward Kensuke Nagai capitalized on Niigata keeper Koto Abe's mistake to open the scoring in the 31st minute as he struck a low first-time effort into the left corner from outside the box.

The 35-year-old got his second in the 42nd minute following a superb passage of play from his teammates, set off by Keiya Shiihashi floating the ball into the box. Sho Inagaki nodded it down away from the goal for Ryuji Izumi, who still had work to do but showed deft touches to wrong-foot his marker and tee up Nagai to side-foot home.

Niigata sent on the tournament's leading scorer with six goals, Motoki Nagakura, as part of a triple substitution with 25 minutes left and got a goal back when Kaito Taniguchi headed in Danilo Gomes' right-wing cross.

Albirex left-back Kento Hashimoto drew a diving save from Langerak in the 82nd minute from distance, and the Australian keeper made another to deny Gomes' cross creeping in at the far post as Niigata ramped up the pressure.

With the clock ticking and Nagoya seemingly home and dry, substitute Yota Komi won and scored a last-minute penalty to force extra time.

Right wing-back Katsuhiro Nakayama, who came on with 10 minutes left in regular time before giving away the penalty, made amends by drilling home via a deflection three minutes into extra time.

But Komi again came to Niigata's rescue as he latched on to Nagakura's through ball and slotted past Langerak in the 111th minute.

The penalty shootout was played at the Nagoya end and Niigata's second taker, Nagakura, sent his shot wide to the right, while Langerak stepped up to score the next attempt low to left before Yuya Yamagishi buried the decisive kick to clinch Nagoya a memorable win.

"Grampus have given me so much. This is my thank you," Langerak said. "I want to congratulate Niigata. What an amazing team."

Niigata manager Rikizo Matsuhashi said his team were "gradually getting stronger, but still lacking a bit."

"I told my players to go through lots of these tough moments and build on them in pursuit of a title," he said.