“Today’s game was a really tough one, so getting that one goal and coming away with the win has given the team a lot of confidence,” said Muramatsu, who marshalled the backline in a disciplined defensive display.

“Defensively, there were moments when our positioning and defending could have been better and there were a few dangerous situations. But we stayed focused, communicated well and managed to keep a clean sheet, which made this a very important match for us in achieving our goal of advancing from the group stage.”

Tokyo Verdy face Suwon in their final group tie on Saturday where a draw will be enough to confirm top spot and a place in the knockout stage but Muramatsu believes there is still room for improvement.

“There are still many areas we need to improve. We want to work harder in training so that we can make games like today’s a bit easier for ourselves.”

Head coach Naoki Kusunose echoed her sentiments, commending his side’s patience and execution in a closely contested affair.

“It was a close match, and I’m glad we managed to win,” said Kusunose.

“ISPE are a very tough and hard-working team. We had a hard time breaking them down but we took our first real chance well and that made the difference.”

Naegohyang, meanwhile, revived their quarter-final hopes with a 3-0 defeat of Suwon.

Naegohyang showed a better all-round display compared to their 4-0 defeat to Tokyo Verdy on Sunday with Pak Ye Gyong - who opened the scoring against Suwon - believing that this could be the turnaround needed in their hunt for the title.

“In the first half, there were many shooting chances but we were hurried in taking our attempts but in the second half, we could score because we remained single-minded in what we wanted to achieve from the game,” said Pak.

“Our aim is to go all the way and win this competition. Not just me but everyone in the team is aligned with this thinking and we will give it our all to achieve this.”

A win against ISPE on Saturday will ensure Naegohyang a top two finish in the group and book their place in the last eight.