Head Coach Hasegawa: "First of all, I'm relieved that we were able to participate in the finals. It was difficult for both of us as we were playing against each other for the first time, but we gradually got into the rhythm and scored the opening goal, and it was huge that we were able to score the second goal in the first half. Of course, there were some mistakes, but the players fought very aggressively for this time of year, and they played with great concentration until the end, so they really did a good job. However, we still have some small mistakes to make, so we will continue to train, and the finals will start in about two weeks, so we would like to improve the team's overall level again."

Q: "In addition to the nine players who have been with us since last year, we have two new center backs. What do you think of them?"
Head Coach Hasegawa: "I thought there were a few times when they looked dangerous in terms of teamwork, but they played very calmly for the whole 90 minutes. Of course, in terms of Johor's attacks, they didn't create any dangerous situations in front of the goal like a wave of attacks, so I think they played very safely, but in terms of feeding, Miura and Fabio have added a new color, or maybe it's strange to call it a shape, but they have a good attacking switch, and the first pass is now coming from the center back, which was something that didn't happen much last year, so I think that Miura's long balls from a wide angle and Fabio's balls to the vital area really showed their strengths in today's game. Also, I felt that Miura's receiving the ball in that way from a set piece will be a very powerful weapon for the team in the future."

Q: "It must have been very tough to have to play this kind of match at this time, but what was the most important point in terms of the preparations you've made so far?"
Head Coach Hasegawa: "First of all, the physical aspect of being able to play for 90 minutes. I talked with the physical coach about what we should do if we get to the playoffs, and I think he put together a very good schedule. As for team building, we had no choice but to build it up for this match, so in that sense, there were some parts of the training that were a bit of a nuisance or burden to the bench members, so in that sense, I would like to stimulate the competition within the team in the next two weeks. I think it was a very difficult schedule and a challenge, but the players understood the importance of this match, and if they lost, they wouldn't be able to play in the main tournament, so they worked hard during the off-season, and I don't think we would have been able to win today's match in the way we did without all that cooperation."

Q: The finals are finally upon us. What do you think will be the key to winning by making use of your experience from last year?
Head Coach Hasegawa: "First of all, we need to build a solid team. The level of the Asian teams has really risen, so we want to prepare well and be ready to fight properly before going into the match on the 22nd. In the ACL, it is impossible for J-League teams to dominate or take the initiative in the match, so we need to discard that notion and prepare ourselves for a tough battle. It is a tournament that is difficult to win. Two years ago, we made it to the semi-finals, but last year, we couldn't win a single game and it was hell, so we will use that experience to go into this season's ACL."