FC Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong expressed his unexpected concern. Jesse Lingard, who led his team to victory with his first assistance in the K-League, does not take advantage of other teammates’ chances and only gives the ball to Ilyuchenko. Ilyuchenko responded with a smile, saying, “No comment.”
Seoul beat Suwon FC 1-0 in the 32nd round of the K League 1 2024 regular season at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday. “Ilyuchenko will deploy the team in the second half due to physical stamina. I will aim for a goal when the opponent team loses concentration,” Kim said before the match, which was exactly what he said. Seoul, which is ranking fifth with 50 points, trailed Gangwon FC, which is ranking third, by two points.
Leading players of the team’s victory were Lingard and Ilyuchenko. Lingard handled the corner kick he got in the 20th minute of the second half, and Ilyuchenko responded with a header. After scoring, the two players danced together and shared their joy. Ilyuchenko tied for first in scoring along with Stefan Mugosa by scoring his 14th goal of this season. “I’m glad that I became the top scorer. However, it is more important that our team brings points,” he said after the match. “Anything can happen in soccer. We will have a chance to win.”
“I told Lingard not to give the ball to Ilyuchenko. Lingard only passes to Ilyuchenko without looking at other teammates’ chances (laughs),” Kim said. “They talk a lot. We also agonize over how to attack. It helps our team.”
The two players also garnered a penalty kick on the day. Lingard also sent the ball to the front with a one-touch pass at the 35th minute of the second half, and Ilyuchenko, who was penetrating the ball, was kicked by Kim Tae-han’s tackle inside the penalty box. Lingard served as the kicker and sent it over the net.
“I wanted to kick it, but Lingard wanted to, so I gave it up. A missed shot can also happen in soccer,” coach Kim said. “Ilyuchenko always puts his team first after conceding a penalty to Lingard. He promised to win the top scorer. I will make efforts to achieve that goal.” 먹튀검증
Meanwhile, Seoul has set a record for the largest number of spectators (434,426) at home in a single K-League season since 2018, when it started counting paid spectators on the day. “We can attract more spectators than now. More than 50,000 spectators came to our home opening game, but our fans were disappointed because we didn’t win, and we didn’t come much afterwards,” Kim said. “We will do well to start the season next year and set an atmosphere that will surpass this year’s record.”