Tell us about that first goal.
I thought that if I made a diagonal run, Yuhei (Sato) would have space for a through pass, so once I got behind the defense, I looked up and saw that the goal keeper had left his near post open. From there, I just hit it as hard as I could. The movement was much like we draw it up, but even I was surprised by the shot. It’s something that I’ve been practicing regularly, so I think that enabled the result.

Who were you paying homage to with your goal celebration?
For the first goal, it was (Gerard) Deulofeu. I have a big stock of ideas, but I had made up my mind to go with that one for the opener. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) does the same pose with a jump added, but I did it with my hands only. I had it prepared from the time of training camp. For the second goal, I went with the beer celebration by Empoli’s (Francesco) Caputo.

Your equalizer was also the team’s first goal of the season.
After the first goal, we all had this feeling of “here we go again” but once I scored, it felt like we regained our confidence. OM that sense, I think it was an important goal.

Was the pass from Yuhei Sato what you expected?
From working with him in training, I knew he could play that pass and we’ve practiced it together、so when I got in that position I knew just how to make my run. The first step is very important for a forward and for me personally, I watch a lot of footage of world class players and they’ve all perfected the way they make a quick run, so it’s something I’m constantly aware of. I think that work showed with the goal.

The second goal came after a cross from Junki Koike.
Before the match started, I told Eiko (Koike) that if he had a chance to get behind their back line, he should drill an early cross in the space between the defense and the goal keeper. Thanks to that preparation, he played a great ball. I didn’t quite get on the end of it but because I slid, the keeper dropped the ball and I was able to finish it off. I remember thinking that it was just out of my reach, but when I went to ground, it created a blind spot for the keeper and since the pitch was pretty wet, I think the ball was too slippery for him to catch. As a forward, it’s important that I never give up on the play and no matter how it’s scored, I think a goal is a goal so I’m happy with it and even more happy that it led to a win for the team.

How did it feel to combine with Jin Hanato?
I’d been pairing with Jin a lot since pre-season and we’ve worked together so that there are times when one of us plays behind the other and also times where we line up as a flat two. In the second half, the need for a win led us to drop back overall and there were many times where Jin and I had to get on the end of clearances and long passes out of our end.

How did it feel to have your home opener after a tough run of consecutive losses?
I grew up as a player at Verdy and have the Verdy DNA in my blood, so it’s very important that a player like me gets results when we have a match at home. In that sense, I’m very happy to have led the team to a win with my two goals. Even then, however, it was a win earned by every member of the team and I can’t be satisfied with just getting results today. I will continue to prepare well for the next match.

You got a win, today, in your Verdy Debut. What are your thoughts on the match?
Personally, I felt bad to have created trouble for the team by picking up an injury before the season opener and playing our first match at home, today, I wanted us to present a win to the supporters no matter what it took. We were a little shaky in the opening minutes, but overall, I think we managed the match well.

Just like your opening two losses, you began the match at a disadvantage by conceding first.
We did go down early, but it meant a lot that we were able to equalize so quickly. We hadn’t won in two matches and when the momentum is going that way, conceding first can really dampen the mood. It took a super goal from Ryohei (Hayashi) to put us back on track, but it was still important that we were able to equalize.

Space within your own third has been an issue lately and the opposition were once again able to take advantage, early in the match.
That’s something we’ll have to improve little by little. It helped us today that the equalizer came just as we were beginning to calm things down. We did make small adjustments in the middle of the pitch.

This was your first appearance of the season. How do you feel, condition wise?
There weren’t a lot of days that passed since I resumed full training and the doctor said that it might be difficult to play the full 90 minutes, so I was a little worried. However, I’m glad that I saw out the match without an injury. I’d have to look at the data to know for sure, but I don’t think I did all that much running today (laugh).

The team struggled in the early minutes of the first half, but as the captain, was there anything in particular that you told the others?
That happens a lot and if there’s something I can do to have an effect, of course I will do it, but that’s not really the way it works in football. There are always going to be moments where the opponent is in control. The important thing, in those moments, is to come together as a team and to make sure we’re communicating with each other. One person alone cannot defend the goal, so we made an effort to shut them down by erasing the space as a unit. Getting a win in a difficult match like this means a lot, but we also had chances to get another goal. If we can learn to be ruthless in finishing those chances, I think we can reach the next level, so I want us to work on getting goals when the opportunity is there and concentrate at the back to defend when needed.

Did everyone share the mindset to end the match at 2-1?
At the end, that was of course our intent, but I had hoped that we might get more goals when we had the chance. However, I was mindful of not taking too many risks.

Are you relieved to have gotten a first win with your new club?
Yes. As a team, we hadn’t been winning and we were at home, so I think it will give us confidence that we were able to fulfill our responsibilities and deliver a win to the supporters today. I don’t know if you could call it winning habits, but I think we need to become a team capable of sustaining this kind of play.

You played on the right wing today after being on the left in the last match.
I was used on the left last time and I’m not aware of any specific reason I played on the right, today. On my side, my role was to give width to the shape and create chances by running at the defense.

You had many opportunities to run at the back line after receiving a switch of play from Yuhei Sato on the opposite side.
Yuhei is good at controlling the play when he receives the ball on the left side, so I felt like my job was to stretch them wide and try to get behind.

Tell us about your cross that led to the second goal.
I thought at first about trying to play the ball to Ryohei (Hayashi) directly, but the pass was a bit long – or more specifically, I didn’t want it to deflect off the defender who was in front of him, so it was a very tight space I had to aim for. I’m glad that it led to a goal in the end. The pitch was wet, so I thought that a low cross might make something happen.

You still seemed to have some shaky moments in defense.
Some things aren’t functioning yet, but over the past week, we’ve worked on shutting down the middle and forcing them to the outside. There were also adjustments we made as the match went on. Of course, our opponents will come forward looking for a goal and they won’t just let us dictate the play as we want it, but we have to defend in the midst of that. Since we hadn’t won the first two matches, I think the win today will be a big opportunity for us to improve our position. I think we’ll keep improving from today and it will be a major moment for us in this season.

You were involved in creating a big chance in the second half with your cross across the face of goal.
I wanted to take a shot myself, but I felt I wouldn’t meet it in time and if I couldn’t get the shot off, I knew Ryohei was open next to me, so I played it to him.

Tell us your thoughts on getting your first victory and your first start of the season, today.
I didn’t play very well, individually, but the most important thing was that the team won, today. I can’t say that everything was perfect, but as a team, getting the three points will give us confidence and I hope we can carry that into our performance next week. For now, it’s a positive that we got the three points and can find areas where we need to improve, even in a match we won.

You were paired with Ryohei Hayashi today and played slightly behind him.
I was in more of a shadow striker position and we both made sure that when one of us made a run behind, the other would drop into midfield, so that we weren’t standing side by side. We were mindful of not slacking off in defense, as well, and there were some difficult moments in that regard, but I think the most important thing was that we were able to come back and claim the lead. In my opinion, it takes strength for a team to come back that way. It’s true that it was not a perfect match, but I’m just glad we won.

Given that the team had lost their previous two matches after giving up the opening goal, Hayashi’s early equalizer was important, wasn’t it?
Yes, it was very important. For the second goal as well, even though it was partly because of the opponent’s mistake, putting himself in the position to score there was big. When we thread a series of passes on one side like that and then play the ball to the opposite end, it makes it hard for our opponents to keep up. If we can do more of that, I think we’ll create more clear chances. It’s something we need to discuss in training and work on raising our precision.

In the second half, you combined well with Yuhei Sato and Yuta Narawa to break down the left side of their defense.
For me, individually, I do feel like I was able to keep the ball at my feet and create chances more in the second half. However, I also want to affect the match in a decisive way. Yuhei (Sato), Nara(wa) and myself were able to work on the same side and break them down, so if we raise our precision when we combine, I think I will be able to find the net. The final moments before a goal come down to individual quality, so I want to focus on improving my play in training.

What do you think are the areas you need to improve, individually?
I’m not taking enough shots. Personally, I have a tendency not to try shots from difficult body positions and when I look back on the match, there are moments where I should have tried to force a shot more. I don’t always have to look pretty when I take a shot and I can try and put my nose to the ground a little more. The biggest priority is to help the team win, so I also need to work on choosing to pass when the time is right. I hope I can learn to use both sides of my game more effectively.

In defense, you once again seemed to struggle with dealing with play in your own third.
It’s a problem that we’ve had so many dangerous moments. Myself and Ryohei both tried to make sure we kept track of one of their holding midfielders, but there are times where teams seem to move the ball instantly into our half. With that said, if the forward players start dropping too far back, we will lose our rhythm in attack. We have to maintain communication with the defenders. It’s difficult to smooth things out after only three matches, but if we don’t work on that in training, we won’t be able to cut down the number of threats on our goal. Lately, the forward players have been sharing their opinions more with the players at the back, so I hope we can gradually make improvements.

This was your first match since transferring to Verdy. What did you think of the atmosphere in the home stadium?
I was really happy to see so many people cheering behind the goal and as a football player, it makes me happy that we were able to answer their support with a win. On the other hand, we won’t get anywhere this season if we’re satisfied with the way we played today.

Were you nervous making your J-league debut at home, today?
I wasn’t nervous at all.

What instructions did you receive before taking the pitch?
There were a lot, but most of it was about defense. I didn’t have many instructions in other areas. For me, personally, I was focused on what I could do if I had a chance to get on the ball.

It was a short appearance, but we did see some of your qualities, like your ability to keep the ball, make turns, and play passes behind the defense.
Personally, I feel like I could have played a little better or at least, there were more things I could have done. There were also areas where I was clearly lacking. That includes making decisions within the flow of the match and the precision of the final ball. For example, at one point, I lost the ball in a deep position. I should have booted the ball forward or at least tried to create more time for myself.

But you made a good turn and played a good through pass to Fujimoto.
The turn went as planned, but after I moved the ball, I wanted to continue moving and get forward, so it played a little different from how I imagined.

How about physical contact, which you had identified before as an area where you need to improve?
I am still weak physically, so I think I should have tried to do more ball-side. At the same time, if I can read the game better, it won’t be so hard for me. I’d like to work on my decision making speed.

You skipped your high school graduation ceremony to play, today.
It wasn’t really on my mind. I had made up my mind that I didn’t need to go, so it doesn’t bother me. Instead, I got to make my debut on that day, so that feels like a good way to commemorate.

Has it hit you yet that you’re now a pro?
Personally, it hasn’t really hit me yet and it just felt like an extension of my youth days. I don’t feel like a professional, yet. That’s especially true when I’m playing.

You have a lot of competition for a place in the squad. How do you plan to make an appeal?
We have a lot of midfielders in the squad and there are also players coming back from injury, so I know the competition will be fierce. However, I think it’s important that I not be intimidated by the older players and show my qualities to the manager in training and during practice.