"I think it’s just one match this season."
FC Seoul won 2-1 against FC Anyang in the Hana Bank K League 1 2025 Round 2 held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 22nd.
With this victory, Seoul reported its first win of the season. Captain Lingard scored the opening goal, and Lucas fired the clincher.
The clash between Seoul and Anyang drew attention due to the 'relocation issue.' Anyang was created as a new citizen club nine years after relocating its base from Anyang LG (the predecessor of Seoul) to Seoul in 2004.
After winning K League 2 last year, Anyang faced its rival Seoul in just the second match of the season after successfully being promoted to K League 1. The winner was Seoul.
With this victory, Seoul claimed its first win of the season, bringing its record to 1 win and 1 loss.
Lingard, who scored the opening goal, said after the match, "I thought it would be a difficult game. Since Anyang relies on long balls, we trained on how to deal with that. We had some difficulties during the first 20 minutes with the long balls, but we started to dominate gradually. It was disappointing to concede the final goal, but that can happen in soccer. We set the mood well at the beginning today. Even though the opponent was an active team, we managed to win without falling behind."
When asked if he was aware of the relationship between Seoul and Anyang, he explained, "It certainly feels good to be in a match that attracts attention. I want to tell the fans that it's important to stay calm rather than getting too absorbed in it. I think it's important to think of it as just one match this season and to prepare accordingly."
He also noted, "The atmosphere was very different from the derbies in England. England has changed a lot too. When there were players like Scholes and Rooney, it was true that the derby matches had a rougher nature. But recently, it seems to have changed with the increase of foreign players. It’s true that derbies are more intense with players running more than usual. We should not get too excited and absorbed in the concept of a derby. I've emphasized that to the players as well."
Regarding the scoring situation, Lingard said, "I was lucky. Nowadays, I always start the day with a positive mindset. I am working hard to let positivity come into my life. It seems that small efforts are accumulatively making things better as I do my best in training. I feel good, and it seems like positive things are coming in. I wasn't surprised when I scored. I didn't have a big reaction because I’m feeling good."
[Photo] Provided by the league.
[Photo] Provided by the league.
[OSEN=Seoul World Cup Stadium, Woo Chung-won reporter]