Ulsan take top spot as Lingard comes under fire at FC Seoul

Football

Published: 18 Mar. 2024, 14:56 Updated: 18 Mar. 2024, 17:15

Ulsan take top spot as Lingard comes under fire at FC Seoul

Ulsan HD players [YONHAP]

K League 1 defending champions Ulsan HD edged out Gwangju FC to take the top spot on the table after a 3-3 draw with Incheon United on Sunday.

Sunday’s match at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium witnessed a goal fest, with both sides trading blows throughout the game.

After the first half ended 1-1, with goals from Ulsan’s Martin Adam and Incheon’s Stefan Mugosa, Park Seung-ho made it 2-1 for Incheon in the 48th minute.

Ulsan equalized with Lee Dong-gyeong’s goal in the 53rd minute and made it 3-2 with Adam’s second goal in the 62nd minute.

However, Stefan added his second in the 74th minute, sealing his side’s 3-3 draw with the reigning champions.

Despite the draw, Ulsan snatched the front-runner spot from Gwangju, who lost 1-0 to last season’s runners-up Pohang Steelers, also on Sunday in Pohang, North Gyeongsang.

Meanwhile, Jeonbuk failed to secure their first league win, losing 1-0 to newly-promoted Gimcheon Sangmu on the same day in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang.

In the other fixtures, FC Seoul secured their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Jeju United at home, but manager Kim Gi-dong criticized the performance of new signing Jesse Lingard.

FC Seoul's Jesse Lingard dribbles the ball during a K League match against Jeju United at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Saturday. [NEWS1]

"He only played a few minutes, and yet he didn't work hard and avoided the tussle," Kim said after the match. "If you run less than a footballer who has played 90 minutes, you're not even a footballer.

"Fame doesn't win football games. If it did, I would have brought in a famous retired player."

Lingard, 31, moved to FC Seoul last month on a two-year deal with the option of a third year. He spent most of his career at Manchester United and was on the books with the Premier League club from 2011 through 2022, making 232 appearances during which he recorded 35 goals and 21 assists.

Since making his FC Seoul debut earlier this month, Lingard has yet to put in the type of performances which saw him win 32 caps for England.

Daejeon Hana Citizen and Gangwon FC, meanwhile, both failed to win their first game of the season after a 1-1 draw in a clash in Daejeon.

Suwon FC and Daegu FC also shared the points after a 1-1 draw in Daegu.

The K League will resume after the FIFA international break running from Monday through March 26 during which some K League players will join the national team for two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Thailand.

The first game is scheduled to take place on Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul, followed by the away match on March 26.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]