Tell us about what led to your goal.
I was aiming for the rebound, there.

How did things feel in defense??
They used the full width of the pitch and kept things on the ground, but we were lucky because they made a lot of mistakes. Had they been more consistent, things would have been a lot more difficult for us. They broke us down a number of times and in those moments, I felt they had a lot of quality players with good ideas. They were aiming to switch sides on us a lot, so that stretched the usually compact nature of our defense. Between that and the heat, it felt like the legs of the back line, midfield, and front players were growing heavier as the match wore on and we couldn’t continue chasing the ball. They play football at a high level and in the second half, we were pushed back for long periods. It was that kind of match.

Regardless of the content, it’s good that you kept a clean sheet.
Shiba(saki) made some great saves and if not for that, the match probably would have gone to extra time. With that said, everyone fought hard until the last minute and players like Shogo (Hayashi) won their physical battles, so I think everyone in defense, including Shiba, worked hard today to earn this result.

You appeared to have some chances on the counter in the second half, but seemed to be lacking in precision.
They were pushing forward to get a goal, so if we had done a better job of hitting them on the counter, I think we could have made things a lot easier for ourselves. We were lacking in precision on that point. Had we gotten a second goal, I think their motivation levels would surely have dropped and by not doing that, we allowed them the energy to continue attacking us.

Did the way they stretched the defense have an effect on the attack as well?
Since we were pushed back, the only ones who could break forward with energy were Alan and Douglas. There were periods where the midfield couldn’t run and at those times, we should have done a better job of passing the ball and building up our attack.

Regardless of the content, you were able to stop the losing streak today.
It’s always better to look back on content after a win, but in that sense, we’re not satisfied with the way we played, today, and that should give us motivation to play better in the next match. Right now, our only thought is on connecting this to the next game.

Your thoughts on the match?
They were a great team and I think they would pose a good challenge to any other team in the J-League. I’m happy for us to get a victory over such a team. Once you’re on the pitch, age and category no longer matter, so the only important thing was to win and we did that.

You were pushed back quite a bit at the end of the match and the team was forced to rely on your saves to keep them ahead.
Some of that comes from what we’ve worked on in training and I’m just glad that I was able to stop them. With that said, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep the next team out if the same thing happens again. It’s best that we prevent them from getting those opportunities to begin with and that’s something we need to work on in training.

The back line seemed stretched due to the way the opponents switched the play from side to side and passed the ball between the lines.
They attacked well and in the second half, we grew tired. Due to that, there were some dangerous moments, but we concentrated on preventing them from applying the final touch and that approach never felt that dangerous to me. We’re going to see more of those situations as we advance and we don’t know who is going to play, so I want to continue to show my worth.

This was your first match this year to keep a clean sheet.
For me, personally, the Toyama match did not go well, so I’m actually happy to win the way we did today. My goal is always to prevent us from conceding and if we can accomplish that, then it’s not possible for us to lose, so I think that was a positive.

Considering the lack of scouting available on today’s opponents, what were you conscious of as a goalkeeper?
There’s always a limit to how much scouting we can have and despite having less on this opponent, Ivan did a great job of providing us with what was important. Of course, there’s a feeling of difficulty when you don’t know what to expect but when all is said and done, I’m just glad we won. I haven’t had many experiences like this before, where we don’t have everything prepared for us and have to evaluate for ourselves on the fly, so it was a good experience in that sense.

When things got a bit rough, it seemed like the veterans did a good job of raising their voices.
In terms of veterans, we had Mitsuru (Nagata), Hashi(moto), and Kaji(hara). They did a good job, not just of being a physical presence but also communicating with the less experienced players. Even with completely fresh players, it’s difficult to play in this kind of heat. Although this was an official match, it was also good training for us and I hope we can connect it to something good in the future.

What were you most conscious of, once you found out you’d be going up against your alma-mater.
To be honest, I hadn’t watched many of their matches lately, so all I knew was what came from the final scouting report and I didn’t have a good sense of their character as a team. The only thing I did think about was that I wasn’t going to allow us to lose. I knew the match would be broadcast on satellite TV and that it would be embarrassing if we lost (laugh). So, from that perspective, I’m glad we won. However, if you watched the match, it was actually pretty embarrassing for us, anyway…

So more than excitement, you were determined not to lose to them.
Right. I mean, it’s not every day you get to play your alma-mater and I knew that University students would come at us with everything they had. When I was in University, I used to approach our training matches against the pro-teams the same way. I knew that was coming and it was a difficult match, as I expected. Again, I’m just glad we won. I don’t know if I can say I’m relieved, but I did feel pretty humbled at the end. Anyway, last time, after we won against Toyama, it provided the impetus for us to go on a winning streak in the league, so I hope we can do the same thing this time.

Compared to the four-match winning streak, it felt like the teamwork in defense was lacking.
When the squad changes, it makes things difficult and no matter how much we work on things in training, the match itself will be different. So, it may be there was a slight difference because of the players on the pitch today. For my perspective, I’m being given the chance to play, so I wish I had talked to the other players more and maintained a better balance… However, we’ve barely even had training matches together, so it was difficult to perform right away in an official match.

Your thoughts on the match?
It was difficult. They were good in attack and even though we had prepared ways to pressure them, it was hard to apply them during the match. Their players were well-positioned between the lines and used that to spread passes forward and out wide. I think they have a strong attack.

Did you feel any difficulties, physically, on the pitch?
Not really. For me, personally, it was just the heat that was a problem. We all play under the same conditions, so it’s no excuse, really… but there was that.

It seemed like the buildup wasn’t going well during certain periods, too.
I felt we had a good balance, overall, but I do think there were some difficult periods.

Your thoughts on the match?
It was my first match for Verdy, but it didn’t feel that way. However, I think my being able to take the pitch at all is a sign that I’ve made progress.

Tell us what went through your mind as you played.
I knew that I would be on the pitch for at least thirty to thirty-five minutes, so I just wanted to avoid getting injured. I also hoped that I could achieve a result in the time I had, but when I left the pitch it was 0-0, so I didn’t feel like I had accomplished anything.

I’m sure it must have been difficult playing against a university team.
When we’re matched up in a tournament like this, it doesn’t matter whether the opponent is a pro team or a university team. The team that wins is the stronger one. So, in that sense, there wasn’t anything I was particularly conscious of. With all the changes in the team today, I imagine there were some players who succeeded in making an impression and that will create competition in the squad which I think will make things more interesting moving forward.

I think you were aware that you were going to be subbed on for Higa, but even so, was it difficult to enter the match?
In the first play, after I took the pitch, the opposition beat me on the dribble, so I had to make some corrections right away. As you said, it’s difficult to come on as a substitute that early, but I still feel I was able to do so well.

You had an impressive shot that led to the first goal.
I just concentrated on getting it on target and it crossed my mind that there might be a chance on the rebound from there. I’m glad it worked out. We were in a hurry to take the restart, so I had to tell Kaji(hara) myself to make the pass. I was completely unmarked, so I just called for it and I’m happy it worked. All I did was yell his name, but Kaji saw my intention right away and gave me the ball.

Overall, it seemed like a difficult match.
In league play, as well, we get pushed back a lot in the second half, but I’m glad we were able to defend until the end, today.

They seemed to stretch the defense very well by switching the play from side to side in attack.
They found gaps in our defense several times in the second half and that led to shots for them, so I think we have to work on that. The important thing, in that respect, is the speed at which we shift our shape and our initial positioning.

You had chances on the counter in the second half, but the attack seemed a bit hap-hazard.
“I think we relied on Doug and Alan too much and didn’t support them well enough.

You had a chance to play against players in your own age group, today. Was there anything that you were conscious of?
“It was my first time to take part in an official match against a university team, but there were players who were the same age as me, or one year apart, so I maybe did feel a bit more passion.

With the packed summer schedule ahead, your play today should allow the manager to give you a second look.
I’m glad I was able to impact the result, but if I don’t improve in defense, I don’t think my opportunities to play in the league will increase.