Sei MUROYA

"(About the goal)
Kensuke has always been creating opportunities in the space on the side, so I was thinking of moving up from the inside. That was effective in the moment of the goal. I just wanted to score, so I focused solely on striking it hard with my right foot."
Until now, I had never scored in the league, so I always had the desire to score quickly, but today, during warm-up, Hiroki said to me, 'Aki is going to score, right?' It might have been a prophecy (laughs). When I scored, I was incredibly happy and it felt great.
(About the cross that led to the own goal. Did he get past two players before that?)
It's a feeling (laughs).
The first player was able to evade the opponent because they bit on the timing.
It was clear that the second player would also come.
I saw Kensuke running to the near side, so I thought I would put a strong ball into the space. It floated a bit too much though...

At the start of the game, Kashima MF Leandro troubled us.
It was particularly difficult to keep up when he received the ball and cut in. It would have been better if we could have defended more organizationally...
However, I think it was easier to take a high position during the attack because of that.
At first, I was trying to rise without taking risks, carefully considering the timing.
After allowing the first goal, I was thinking that I wanted to take some risks and find a way to break through on my own.

(There were times on the bench?)
Even when I was left out of the lineup, I believed in my own abilities and didn't become particularly negative.
However, at the beginning of the season, we focused on defense, but the coach asked us to play more aggressively. So I thought, 'If that's the case, let's attack like crazy' (laughs).

Above all, the team is in good condition regardless of who participates.
Today, we spent a lot of time being dominated by the ball from Kashima, but we all worked hard and fought compactly. I feel that this is the result of our victory.

(There must be fatigue from the consecutive matches?)
Stamina is one of my strengths.
Moreover, the team is winning and is able to enjoy the battle.

(Is it okay to aim for the World Cup... I wonder?)
Right now, I'm only thinking about the team winning.
I would be happy to excel there and be selected for the national team as a result, but I want the team to keep winning.

Kensuke NAGAI

"(What about the assist to Sei MUROYA?)
I could see that Sei was coming up, and I also knew that there was no coverage from the opponent."
I had a gut feeling that Se's running ability would be fine, so I sent it into space. However, I sent it with a heel kick in an awkward position, so I was worried about my own body (laughs).

(In the Nagasaki match, Takahagi obtained a penalty kick from Nagai's heel pass. Is it two consecutive assists?)
I got this (laugh)!
Achieved victory in the 200th J1 match, marking the first four consecutive wins in Tokyo. I'm happy.

Summary of the press conference by Kenta HASEGAWA, Tokyo's coach

The players did a great job until the end despite the tight schedule of two days in between, and the passionate support from the fans and supporters pushed us forward. I am truly grateful.

We conceded the first goal to Kashima, but it felt like our bodies finally started to move from there. Until then, we had respected Kashima a bit too much, resulting in too many long balls, but after that, we began to connect our passes and gradually found our rhythm. In that process, I think Muroya did a fantastic job breaking through on the right side, inducing an own goal and scoring as well.
Considering that he has played three consecutive matches including the Levain Cup and that it has been physically demanding, I once again thought that he is a player with boundless stamina for performing like that.
We will be heading to C Osaka for an away match in two days, but C Osaka is also in very good form right now, and they have a wealth of talent in their forward line, so we want to switch gears and prepare well for the next match.

《Q&A》
Q=Is the team's ability to run in the match a result of their practice?
The players are preparing very seriously. The physical staff is also doing their job properly, so I can trust them completely. The players are responding to that by working hard. I actually wanted to substitute Higashi, but he is a player who is hard to replace. Even though he was really tired, he worked diligently until the end.
I believe that the result of all the players fighting together led to today's victory.

Q=How do you feel about the current team?
"The fact that we have started to be able to score has changed. At the beginning of the season, we struggled to find a way to the goal, but I think it's very significant that they have begun to understand how they can reach the goal in their own way."

Summary of the Press Conference of Kashima's Go OIWA

We tried to take the lead and make it our game, but I think the team lost its momentum.
"I talked about raising our gear in the second half, but we ended up losing to the opponent's momentum."

Q=Is the team feeling fatigued from consecutive matches like the ACL?
"This is not just us; other teams are in the same situation. Therefore, I have told the players that there can be no excuses regarding our condition, but when we lose, it leads to situations like this."
Since there is a league match coming up soon, I can only say that we need to prepare our condition for the next match.