On the 15th, after the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 8 match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, Shinzo Koroki spoke about his thoughts on his penalty kick goal and his gratitude for the support from the fans and supporters.

(What about penalties?)
"The coach got angry at me (laughs). I was confident I could score, and I just wanted to take the kick. I'd like to thank (Alexander) Scholz for letting me take the ball. It's a team rule, so I think I have to abide by it carefully, but I'm glad I was able to score."

(Did you say you wanted to kick him yourself?)
"Yes, I told Scholz. He looked like he really wanted to kick it, but he said, 'If Shinzo says so,' so he gave in, and I'm very grateful to him."

(Did he want to take the penalty kick because the opponent was Sapporo?)
"I thought I'd never take a penalty again, but for some reason I felt like taking one. Maybe it was because we were playing against Sapporo, but with that atmosphere at Saitama Stadium, a penalty kick is a moment when time stops, and there's something really satisfying about taking one with everyone's eyes on you. I've taken penalties before, so I just thought, 'I'd like to experience that again.'"

(What about the scene where an opposing player was sent off?)
"As for (Nakamura) Toya, we were teammates last year, so I'm not sure if I should give him this advice, but I told him, 'That reaction was no good.' He himself has ability, and is a player with a bright future, so I think it's important to delay rather than rush in there. I think it would have been good if he had been able to steal the ball there, but in the end he was sent off, so I told him that that was not the place to rush in, and he listened to me. I hope that he will use this opportunity to continue to grow."

(The fact that the opponent was down to 10 men made it difficult to play against a team that was trying to tighten its defence.)
"That's right. We are a team whose strength is attack, so after one player was sent off, the players were talking amongst themselves about wanting to finish the first half at 0-0. I think that our inability to break down a defensive opponent is an issue we have right now. In that situation, if we could score one goal, the opponent would have to come out and we felt that we could score a few more, so Scholz scored in a good way and we were able to score four goals as expected. I think that's very good. However, we didn't want to concede any goals."

(What about the goal scored at Saitama Stadium?)
"When I was with the Reds two years ago, we couldn't cheer out loud because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Being able to cheer out loud in that atmosphere for the first time in a while made me realize just how amazing Urawa Reds really are, and how much we are supported by our fans and supporters."

(What was it like being on the pitch with Jose Kante?)
"I thought he would be stationed in the middle, but unexpectedly he went out to the side and handled the ball. I was planning to take on that role when we had a two-man attack, so it was a bit unexpected. Although he was sent off, I think that spirit will be a big threat in the ACL (AFC Champions League 2022), and I think that his improving condition will be a positive for the team. No one is blaming him for being sent off this time, and I think he will only get better from now on."

(Did Coach Petrovic say anything to you after Trial?)
"He was like, 'Is your family OK?' He's a warm-hearted person. He had a lot to say about the red card situation, but I haven't seen the footage of the incident yet, so I'd like to see it."

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