Head Coach Katanozaka: "We won the last match against Nagoya at home in a good way, and we kept that momentum and challenged against Kyoto today. The result was a 1-1 draw, and we got one point. In terms of the game content, I think the players really fought without giving up on what they were challenging until the end. And Kyoto was also determined not to lose at home, so I think it was a very exciting and wonderful match for both sides. However, if we had scored first in the first half, the game might have turned out differently, and we might have been able to play a game that led to three points. I think it would have been good if we had been able to take advantage of the chances we had and score the first point, creating a situation where we could have dominated the game. However, although we were scored on first, DAWHAN's great shot in the second half tied the score, and we somehow managed to get one more point, so although there may have been few scoring opportunities, I think we played a good game overall. We have a consecutive match against Shimizu again away, so we will prepare well and challenge ourselves to play a game that will lead to three points this time. "

Q: In the first half, the double defensive midfielder duo of DAWHAN and Saito played well, stealing the ball many times. What goals did you communicate to the players before the match, and do you feel they were able to express them?
Head Coach Katanozaka: "Kyoto is a team that really works hard, and they react quickly to second balls and ball-related matters, and when they get the ball, they really use it to attack, so I thought that the battle for the second ball was very important in this game, and I told the players that. DAWHAN and Mitsuki SAITO really did a good job of getting the ball in those areas in the midfield, and they fought well, which allowed us to push forward in the first half and create chances. I think it was a game that showed their strengths, and the other players also had a very high level of awareness and took on the challenge today. I think that the players were able to do what they have prepared well and do without hesitation, even against a team with momentum like Kyoto."

Q: In the second half, it seemed like the opponent changed their formation to a 5-back style, which caused some difficulties. I would like to know how you dealt with that and how you used your substitution cards.
Head Coach Katanozaka: "First of all, I looked at the players' fatigue when making substitutions, and we had consecutive games, so I made substitutions with the aim of trying to step up a gear and score one more time without losing the balance. Kyoto also brought on Mendes in the middle of the game, and we went with a 5-back, 5-4-1 formation. They changed it up, but even in that situation, Kyoto's fighting style remained the same, with their forward-pushing attitude, and I tried to fight in a way that made it important to switch, run, and battle, and to not drop back, but to somehow push up the line from the front and press, and to get the ball, so that we didn't lose intensity, including by making substitutions, and no matter what the system was, I tried to keep it up until the end with the players closest to us putting pressure."