On the 30th, after the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 5 match against Avispa Fukuoka, Ryoma Watanabe, who scored his first goal in an official match for Urawa Reds, spoke about his goal and his thoughts on winning for the first time at Saitama Stadium.

(His goal brought the team their first win at Saitama Stadium this season.)
"I wanted to make up for the mistake I made in the first half, so I ran, trying to get in front of the goal as much as possible. I think that led to the result. It was a wash, so I'm glad we won, but if we had ended up in a draw, I think I would have blamed myself. I'm really glad we won."

(What about the goal?)
"Even when I was a full-back, I was always thinking about going forward, and when (Sakai) Hiroki was passing the ball to me, I wanted to be in the middle, so I was always in that position. The opposing center-back and goalkeeper were slightly overlapping, so I could see the goal, and all I had to do was slot it in."

(You must have felt relieved after the early chances, mistakes and blocked chances that made things tough for you.)
"The strongest feeling is relief. But another reason is that I was able to remain mentally stable and not get disheartened by one mistake, perhaps because I was playing as a fullback, which is a position I had not played before. Of course mistakes like that are no good, but I was able to play with the thought that it was better than being beaten one-on-one in defence or getting a cross scored on. I think that led to a good result."

(With the two new players who joined the team this season scoring goals, won't that give them momentum?)
"I think everyone wanted Thiago (Santana) to score the penalty kick, and I think having a striker score helps to raise team morale. Thiago's play has improved a lot since then, and I think he must have felt relieved as well. I hope that this kind of synergy will help the team move in a good direction, and from a tactical standpoint, I think we're in a great mood and in a good shape."

(When Ayumu Ohata came in he was still in the back position, but when did he change?)
"I can't remember, but I think it changed about 10 or 15 minutes later. At first, (Ohata) Ayumu was in front, but I was also in a more forward position, so it's difficult to say when. But it may have changed before we scored."

(They've had a lot of chances in front of the goal, but is there anything the full-backs can do to help?)
"As a fullback, I often receive the ball in positions that I can't receive it in when playing wide. There are many opportunities to play forward and attack the opposing fullback, or when there are many players inside, so I think that's where my strengths come into play. I don't just play one-on-one with dribbles; I can also cross, shoot and try to get past the ball, so I think being able to play with many options brings out my strengths. I'm an attacking player, so I don't think it's meaningful if I can't make a difference there."

(You didn't really bask in the feeling after the equalizer, did you?)
"I'm a little sorry about that too. I got a little too excited about it, so I should have come back sooner. If we'd scored the winning goal, I'd have been really happy."

(You've been working positively on your full-back role since the training camp, but how are you working on it now?)
"I don't think of myself as an attacking player, but when I'm in an attacking position, I have the mindset that 'I have to do it because I'm an attacking player.' Right now I'm trying to perfect my position as a fullback, and in defence I also need to work on creating numerical superiority. There were a few of those today, but I think I still have a lot to work on, even in those basic but absolutely necessary areas, like not losing in headers on long balls from goal kicks."

(Do you feel like you've established yourself as a full-back?)
"I still have a long way to go. I have more experience up front, but behind me there are also important things I want to improve on, so I hope to go above and beyond what is expected of me."

(As a player for Urawa Reds, where you have fond memories from your childhood, how does it feel to Trial and win at Saitama Stadium?)
"Honestly, I'm very happy, and it's true that singing "We are Diamonds" together at the end gave me a few minutes to remember everything we've done up until now. But right now, I'm not satisfied at all, and I have a stronger desire to go even further with this team. We have a game in the next match that we absolutely cannot afford to lose, so I want to take each Trial one at Trial, including that."

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[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]