Head Coach Hasegawa: "As I expected, it was a very tough game. Before the match, I told the players that there were no games that could be won easily, and that they should give it their all to beat Seoul at the Expo today. I think the players really did a great job right to the end, and they were able to advance to the quarterfinals with a win, and it was a weekday night, so a lot of supporters came to the Expo, which I think gave us a lot of energy."
Kurata: "The matches were as tough as I expected, but I'm really happy that we won both matches and can move on to the next round. However, our goal doesn't end here, so we'll keep on working hard and do our best to win again next time."

Q: "I think the fact that you won the first game with a very good score of 3-1 had a big impact, but on the other hand, I feel that this was also a difficult point. How did you influence the Head Coach to approach this game with the right mindset?"
Head Coach Hasegawa: "I didn't say many things to the players. As I said before, there are no easy games. Some of the players watched yesterday's game against Reysol, and some didn't. However, there's no point in going into details and calculating things, so I sent the players out with the thought that I wanted them to really focus on winning this game. I think that each of the players understood the situation and played well today, so in that sense, rather than me telling them in detail, I think the players felt it for themselves and expressed it on the pitch, which resulted in us winning at home and moving on to the next round."

Q: "You started for the first time since the official match against Urawa and scored your first goal of the season. What are your honest thoughts on this?"
Kurata: "Honestly, it was really tough, and I was frustrated that I couldn't contribute to the team, so I was put in the starting line-up today and I started with the determination to get some results, but I only managed to score one point, and although I'm still not satisfied with my performance, I hope this will be a good start and I'll be able to score more and more points and contribute to the team."

Q: What was Kurata's performance today? He came on in the middle of the first game and helped to change the flow of the game. What is your overall assessment?
Head Coach Hasegawa: "I think he played great today too. There have been times in previous matches where he ran long distances and the ball just didn't come to Aki, but today he had faith and ran towards the goal, and the ball started to roll to Aki. I think he came on in the second half of the first match and gave the team a rhythm, and I think he played great today too."

Q: You used Doan towards the end of the game, and I think he is the player who will carry the future of Gamba, so what was your intention in using him?
Head Coach Hasegawa: "I used him at that time, hoping that he would have a bright future. However, with the score at 2-1, I thought it would be difficult, and I was also a bit worried about Fujiharu's foot condition, so I thought I'd wait a little longer to see if he could score the third goal. After we scored the third goal, the game was pretty tight, so I brought Ritsu in, but he was very aggressive in practice and showed his presence, so he plays in a way that makes you want to use him, so in that sense, if he had scored that goal today, it would have been too much, but although it was a short time, I hope he will become an even bigger player in the future."

Q: "You said that you were also concerned about Fujiharu's foot, so you replaced him with Yonekura. Was Yonekura also in a bad condition? What was your intention in moving Niwa to the right wing?"
Head Coach Hasegawa: "I think Yonekura played today even though he wasn't in perfect physical condition. He's a pretty strong player, so he's not the type to say he's in pain, so if you ask him, he'll probably say, "I'm fine," but it looks like he's in a bit of pain from the outside. There's the J-League in two days, and Yonekura and Fujiharu are hard to replace, and Jae-suk is also injured, and he's back in training after rehabilitation, but considering his condition, I think it's better to hold him back than to hold him back. In the second half, Seoul also put their big players forward in a four-top formation, and they often put the ball in diagonally from our left side and their right side, so I expect Niwa, who plays right back for the Japanese national team, to block it well. Also, Seoul has a lot of players who are very powerful in set plays, so in that sense, Jongya has been playing in difficult conditions since the qualifiers and has continued to produce results, so I put Niwa in right back with the aim of blocking it well with his height. "

Q: "Following the result of the first match, you were leading 2-0 at halftime, so you were in a favorable position going into the second half. What was your image of how to end the match as you went into the second half?"
Head Coach Hasegawa: "I think Kurata's second goal in the first half was very important. It was very important that they created a situation where they had to score four goals. However, we have 45 minutes, and finishing the game well is important to connect to the next game, so I told the players that at halftime, of course we'll aim for a third goal, but we also need to move the ball around well and create time. Ideally, it would have been best if we'd kept the score at zero, but Seoul fought very tough in the second half and it was a difficult game, but I think it was great that we managed to win."