《Sei MUROYA》
"The scene where I assisted the opening goal was about sending the ball into the space in front of the goal. I believed that one of my teammates would run in."

(Did you already have that image when the back pass came from Kubo?)
"In addition to this situation, we were able to create good breaks together several times. It was great to create time well in a high position, deliver a cross ball freely, and score an important opening goal."

(In the previous match, we didn't play very well, but today we achieved victory with our own style of football)
"I thought there would come a time when we would lose, and I believed this next match was very important. I'm glad we were able to earn 3 points."

(The match after the team that had never lost lost for the first time was against a tough opponent, Oita, and it was challenging)
"Basically, we were thinking about not breaking our style. The opponent was a team that connected well, but we talked about putting pressure from the front to take it away from them. Today, we were able to earn 3 points by sticking to our style. I felt that we need to continue playing football like we did today, and winning with our strong points gave us confidence."

(It seems that Kubo has a good sense of defense, but how does it look from the back?)
"I want him to play as far forward as possible, and we are playing while communicating with each other. I am considering positioning in defense while respecting Kubo's judgment."

(This makes it 8 consecutive home wins)
"I see. Oh, is that so? I want to continue doing things as usual from now on."

(Now I can join the national team feeling good)
"Both Kubo and Hashimoto scored, so we will all go feeling good!"

Kento HASHIMOTO
(In the previous match against C Osaka, we suffered our first league defeat, but how did we approach this match?)
"The last match was a frustrating loss, but we switched gears and prepared until today. This match was important as it was a clash against a top team, and I am very happy that we were able to secure 3 points."

(Scored the opening goal in an important match)
"It was my first goal at Ajinomoto in a while, and I was able to score as planned. Entering the goal area from the second line is one of my strong points, and I am really happy to contribute to the team's victory."

(This match, the opening goal was the key)
"As a team, I thought that if we could score early, we could take control of the game. I believe the team gained momentum after scoring the opening goal."

(The league is entering a break at the top of the standings)
"Without dwelling on the loss, we were able to win. As a team, I hope we can enhance our coordination during the break and improve the precision of each play. Personally, I want to absorb a lot while with the national team, grow, and rejoin the team."

(Renewed enthusiasm for the Japan national team)
"I want to express my play properly and do my best to leave a mark."

《Tokyo - Summary of the Press Conference with Director Kenta HASEGAWA》
"We lost in the last match, so today the players ran well and fought hard from the kickoff.
If we don't take the initiative, Oita won't move, and in the end, the forwards were cramping up.
Without their hard work, we wouldn't have scored 3 goals. I believe this is the result of everyone fighting well, including the bench members.

(The attitude of taking the initiative was clearly visible. Perhaps reflecting on the previous match)
"In the last match, there were various circumstances and factors, but if we only look at the game, we lost in transitions and duels against C Osaka, and we couldn't launch a wave attack.
If we just stop there while other teams are wary of our fast attacks and are prepared to commit fouls to stop us, we won't be able to execute a frightening attack against our opponents.
Oita is also a team that focuses on transitions and ball contests. They mentioned that they cannot afford to lose in that aspect. Additionally, their build-up play is unique, so how to contain that was one of the themes.
If you make a mistake in the way of pressing, everything will be taken away, so the players embodied that on the pitch.
This time we didn't allow the opponent to build up comfortably, but I believe that Oita's coach Kanesaka will prepare thoroughly for the next match.
I believe that the biggest reason for our victory today was the way our forwards applied pressure on the opponent while sprinting.

(Kubo scored 2 goals. What is your evaluation of him again?)
"At the start of the match, I thought we might be in trouble when we lost the ball to the opponent once, but after that, he took on the challenge with dribbling and really broke through."
He had a proactive attitude and touched the ball many times, playing in his own rhythm until the end.
The shooting technique is impressive. He scored the first goal in a difficult situation and calmly slotted in the second goal.

《Oita - Manager Tomohiro Katano Press Conference Summary》
"Against the top-ranked Tokyo, we talked about challenging ourselves with what we have built up until now and the preparations we have made for today's match against Tokyo. Playing aggressively and having a good game will lead to future success. We sent the players out with the message to focus on the match and play well, without worrying about the outcome or the score difference."
At the start, there was some stiffness, and the opponent's possession was quite skillful. It seems that Tokyo has thoroughly analyzed us. There were many dangerous situations, and it was a very tough start to the match. In the first half, we struggled to execute the attacking patterns we had prepared. The players might have felt some tension and pressure playing against the top-ranked Tokyo, which could have contributed to a somewhat wasted first half.
In the second half, we changed our approach to be more aggressive after falling behind 0-2, and we managed to score a goal, but there were significant challenges with Tokyo's defensive concentration, ball contests, and key moments. We had intentions to surpass them in those areas, but they did not allow us to do so.
On the contrary, Tokyo has taken advantage of our momentary lapses and has produced results. I felt that this gap is what we lack to reach the top in J1.
The opponents from here on are also very tough, and we have no choice but to challenge ourselves. During this two-week break, we want to somehow stay positive and steer things in a good direction. First, we want to recover the players' condition and mental state, and prepare for the next match.