After the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, No. 23 Kyoto Sanga F.C. match against Rikito Inoue on March 14, Urawa Reds, who played an imposing performance in his first official start for , reflected on today's game.

I was filled with a lot of emotions because it had been a long time since I started a game and it had been about seven months since I started a game. I had mixed feelings of confidence that I could do it and anxiety about whether I could do it in a situation where I was losing my feel for the game, but I wanted to respond to those who had been waiting for this moment with a result, and in that sense I wanted to win. But this was another game that gave me confidence."

(It was your first start at your former home stadium.)
I thought it would be my first start against my old team, but once I got on the pitch, it didn't take long. I wanted to play more, but I didn't feel like playing a game, so I got a cramp in my leg. But really, I genuinely enjoyed playing soccer."

(You must have been able to leave on the pitch quite a bit of what you had gained by lifting the ball with confidence and making good feeds to both sides.)
(You were able to put what you had gained on the pitch quite well by bringing up the ball with confidence and making good feeds to both sides of the field, weren't you? I knew I couldn't lose, and Shinzo (Koroki) told me to be confident, not to be afraid to hold the ball, and not to be afraid to make mistakes, so I think that's what I did.

(You had been practicing the ball on the side for a long time, but didn't you gain confidence by accumulating such experience?)
(You have been practicing the ball on the side for a long time. I had a different feel for the game, so I adjusted my body direction and ball placement during the game. The day before, Nobu-san (Nobuyasu Ikeda coach) and Sako-san (Masato Maesako coach) helped me and put the ball out for me. For those who did, I wanted to respond with a result."

(Jubilo Iwata didn't look happy when you played for the first time in the match, but didn't you show today that you can do it if you try?)
I really had a lot of emotions, I couldn't even sleep last night, I had some thoughts. Joanne (Juan Miret goalkeeping coach) told me before the game to keep a cool head, and as I touched the ball, I got used to it.

(You said after the Iwata game that you "got to the starting line," but wasn't that really today?)
I think so. There were several people who were waiting for this moment, and I am really grateful to them.

(There was a covering to protect the goal at the end of the first half. Wasn't there a part of you that drew the ball in by doing things like that?)
Shusaku Nishikawa I thought it was going to come here, so I was standing there and it came. My ability to sense danger is one of my weapons, so it would be better if something like that never happened, but I will continue to do more so that when it does, I can stop it properly.

(Didn't you show the Reds fans and supporters that you can do this much?)
I think there are more people who don't know me, so I wanted to show them that through my play as soon as possible. It was an opportunity for me to introduce myself and show them again what kind of player I am, so I would like to work on that more in the future.

(Don't you want to show your set plays as well?)
(Don't you also want to show your set-piece skills? (Don't you also want to show your set-piece skills? I wanted to score today, too, but I had to find the right timing. But good balls were coming up. Basically, Marius and others compete with me, so I'm happy to take advantage of that, but I still want to score.

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[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]