Head Coach Poyatos: "It was a tough game, just as we expected. Shonan has a very solid style, and we fought against them. We were able to control the game in parts of the first half, but after they scored first we were able to catch up, which gave us confidence. The second half was a close match, and I think our desire to win and our character prevailed. Then Nakatani's goal sealed it for us. There are a lot of difficult matches in the Emperor 'EMPEROR'S CUP, and I always think that there are different formats to the league. I think this victory marked a really important day."

Q: "Following on from the previous match against Kobe, you managed to catch up twice, and today you also won. How do you evaluate the team's tenacity and attitude in that regard?"
Head Coach Poyatos: "I think I said this at the beginning of the season, but I personally believe that the core players have breathed new life into the team, and football really requires passion, and the ability to endure and bounce back when times get tough. I personally believe that this is because the staff and players have been able to demonstrate what they have been building up and doing up until now. At the same time, as I said earlier, I think that the breath of fresh air from players like Nakatani, Suzuki, and Ichimori has helped make GAMBA OSAKA into a team that can fight tenaciously."

Q: I think there are some players who cannot be left out even on 2nd year of junior high school days, but I would like to ask you again about Nakatani's performance in particular and what he is giving to the team.
Head Coach Poyatos: "That's right. I'm not the type of person who likes to talk to individual players, so I think of him as a member of the team. I think that's down to (Suzuki) Tokuma's work, the dedication of captain Usami, and then (Fukuoka) Shota who stands next to him, as well as the other players, and there are all sorts of invisible threads that connect them, and I think that we all make it work together. That's why I want to help (Nakatani) and he's one of the players I really want to support."