Following Kajiyama's opening goal, Tanizawa also scored to secure a clean sheet victory.

　At halftime, coach Popovic instructed us to "be more aware of shooting", and that paid off early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Lucas kept the ball from a vertical pass by Tokunaga. He then overlapped with Mukuhara, who quickly crossed the ball. In the center, Kajiyama took a direct volley shot while being pushed by the opposing defender, and it went into the left side of the goal, giving us the lead. However, we ended up allowing Niigata to make a comeback afterwards.

　But even in the final scene, he firmly blocked with his body. Then, he regained the flow and turned to attack. In the 59th minute, when Takahashi received Kajiyama's cross in the right area, he controlled it and boldly aimed for the middle with his right foot, barely grazing the DF and the post... only to get a CK. In the 62nd minute, Ishikawa was substituted for Hanyu, and they aimed for an additional goal in a more attacking manner. In the 65th minute, Ota → Ishikawa made a speedy dribble from a counterattack, but the opposing DF also returned and they couldn't make it to the shot.

　In the 71st minute, a right throw-in in the opponent's territory. From Murahara's long throw, Lucas in the right area competes with the opponent and reacts to the ball that slipped from the opponent's defender's feet, and Tanizawa neatly slots it into the goal in the left area! They were able to take the desired additional point. Even after that, they maintained a solid defense and did not break their attacking posture. In the 86th minute, Kajiyama dropped the ball from Tanizawa's left free kick and Hasegawa shot it, but it went off target. In the end, they won without conceding any goals with a stable game plan and stopped their losing streak.

　　【Player Comments】《Kajiyama》"I think everyone had the desire to win and we were able to express that and fight. It was good that we were patient in the first half and were able to score two goals in the second half. (About the goal. First goal in the league?) I was free so I was able to match Kent's cross well. I've been playing together with Kent for a long time, so it was good to be able to score from his ball... I tried to control it with my instep and aim for the opposite side, but it didn't hit well (bitter smile). But it rolled nicely at a good angle, so maybe it was good in the end..."

　As a top midfielder, I feel like I need to score more goals. The coach always tells me "Don't miss your chances to shoot" and I am trying to focus on shooting during practice, but I also want to create more opportunities for our team. Today, I was able to make some plays by exchanging passes with Lucas, but I want to increase those types of plays even more.

　"Gonda" "We had lost three consecutive games in the league, but with the ACL in between, the team's atmosphere wasn't bad. In the Brisbane game, we took control and were able to launch a flowing attack, so personally, I wanted to take that momentum and bring it in a positive direction for the league. Today, we were able to dominate the game and get a good result. I think it's the first time we've been able to control the game like this."

　However, after watching today's game, the opponent will surely do their research. Especially with Sapporo, ACL Ulsan, and Tosu... we will continue to face organized teams. Just because we were able to break through the opponent today, there is no guarantee that we can do the same next time. In order to continue the victory from today, we want to continue to improve in practice. Right now, our record is only "50% win rate plus 1 win". In order to truly compete for the top, I think we need to continue winning from here.

　[Coach Popovich's full press conference] "I think we played a smart and high-quality game today. As this game has proven, we are a team that can dominate the game from start to finish, regardless of whether we are playing at home or away. I think we were able to control the game, dominate it, and continue to attack, and we were able to show the attitude of going for goals, and I think we played well enough to get the result. Furthermore, we must not forget that we have a tough ACL game on Wednesday, and I think it is even more commendable that we were able to show consecutive high-quality games today, and I want to thank the players who fought today."

　The important thing is to continue this. What I would like you all to think about is not to judge only by the results. When we were on a 3-game losing streak, there were many questions about the losing streak, but I would like you to understand about football and think about what direction we are going in and what kind of team we will become in the future, and watch football with that perspective."

　[Niigata Kurosaki Coach's Press Conference Summary] "Today, in the middle of Golden Week, I am very disappointed that despite the many supporters who came to support us, we ended up with this result. I am filled with regret that I was not able to do enough. In terms of game plan and strategy, we were able to create a solid block and launch quick attacks from counters in the first half. However, in the second half, we were scored against during a crucial time and it became very difficult. Despite this, we tried to change our system and go for a goal, but giving up a second goal was a huge setback."

　If we don't reduce mistakes like that, it will be difficult to win in the league. In the current situation, it is also difficult to score 2 or 3 goals. Even if we concede 1 goal, if we fight tenaciously and connect to a tie or the next goal, I think there was a possibility. I think the second goal was a big point today."