I think the players showed great play today, staying focused until the very end. They played very aggressively from the first half, and they switched gears quickly. In that situation, Hiroshima had a good defensive block and organization, and we had a hard time creating real chances, but I think that in terms of football itself, the sharpness of the play itself, they fought with great concentration in the first half, which was the best we've seen in the last few games.
We continued this momentum in the second half and were able to score the opening goal. It was a tough game at the end, but I think it was a very big win to be able to keep our concentration until the end and get three points away from home. Many supporters came to Hiroshima today, so I'm glad we were able to give them this victory as a gift.

Q: LINS Lima De Brito , who was brought in to replace Anderson PATRIC Aguiar Oliveira , produced good results. What were the reasons for his selection and what is your assessment of his play?
I thought A. LINS Lima De Brito would be a good choice. He scored a goal in the previous match. With the away game in mind, LINS Lima De Brito and Takashi showed a very good combination in training. Anderson PATRIC Aguiar Oliveira's foot was in bad condition, and he was tired from the consecutive matches, so I wanted to use him here. I think LINS Lima De Brito scored a really good goal.

Q: In the first half, Kashiwa made a lot of breakthroughs on Hiroshima's left side, but in the second half, it seemed like they were able to make corrections. What specific instructions did you give to them?
A Kashiwa's right-footed inswing is a threatening play, but if you are too careful, he will be cut vertically, so I think that cross is more scary. Niwa was in an unfamiliar position in the second half, but he properly killed the opponent's speed, and Abe came to help well. I think the two of them did a good job of suppressing Kashiwa on the side, but Douglas came in and was very dangerous, and there were crosses to him, so I think he is a player who is difficult to completely suppress.

Q: I thought that if we had lost two games in a row, it would have been tougher to compete for the championship, but this one win is significant. What are your thoughts on this?
A: The players fully understand that, even though it's an away game, the first and second games have become a bit more of a short-term showdown. Of course, the annual champion comes at the top throughout the year, but with the titles of first and second championships, I think the players and we are aiming for that more than in one season. For example, until last year, it wouldn't have been a bad development to end this game with one point, but I feel that the desire to aim for three points even away, and for the home team to also get three points, is stronger than last year. It was a tough game in this way, but being able to go home with three points is a very big three points, especially since we lost the previous game.