A product of the Ventforet Kofu youth academy who spent nine years in the Netherlands before joining Kawasaki Frontale in 2024, Van Wermeskerken said Frontale had the right mindset heading into the tie.

"We watched the other three games and noticed the West side teams always scored early, within the first few minutes and our plan was to not let them score early. Fortunately, we scored first, and our mindset was to keep building on that,” said the 30-year-old defender.

"Even though we did concede, we still felt confident that we could stay strong and play our game. Also, the substitutes, including myself,  were really motivated. We believed we could make a difference. And in the end, that’s exactly what happened.”

In becoming the only team from the East to go through to the semi-finals, Kawasaki were also the first side from the East to take a first-half lead at Jeddah 2025 but Van Wermeskerken was not surprised that Frontale had done so. 

“It wasn't a surprise because we know we have the quality. In the other three games, the East clubs seemed more affected by the circumstances – the supporters, the atmosphere – and they played a little bit on the back foot. 

“But we had already discussed that we were going to stay aggressive from the front and show our football. We knew we had the quality, so it wasn’t a surprise for us."  

Midfielder Yuki Yamamoto, who played a key part in creating the opening goal, was pleased with his team's performance.

"It was very difficult, but we played well as a team, and I’m very happy we’re through to the next round,” said Yamamoto. “I was able to win the ball well and find the space behind. For the second goal, Marcinho made a great run behind the line.”

Looking ahead to the semi-final against Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr Club, Yamamoto stressed the importance of improvement.

"They (Al Nassr) are a great team, but we focus on our football. We need to keep the ball better — that's an area we must improve on for the next game."