‘Lingard effect’ 51,670 people gathered… Highest since the promotion system

K League 1 Seoul-Incheon 0-0 draw

Ranked 4th in 41-year professional soccer history
Largest ever for a home opener

Crowd cheers for Lingard in the first half
‘Disappointing silence’ with no attack points
“Now let’s start… “I will repay my fans.”

Professional soccer team FC Seoul is the most popular club, maintaining 22,633 spectators per game despite only ranking 7th last season. Seoul World Cup Stadium, the home stadium with a capacity of 66,000 people and the largest in Korea, is always hot.

Seoul predicted a bigger success than ever in the 2024 season. Following the ‘master’ coach Kim Ki-dong, they surprisingly recruited ‘superstar’ Jesse Lingard (32), who was a member of the England national team and played for the prestigious Manchester United (Manchester United) of the English Premier League (EPL). Lingard is a star who has scored 29 goals and 14 assists in 182 games in the EPL alone. He is the most valuable foreign player in K League history.

The ‘Lingard effect’ was, of course, enormous. Seoul’s 2024 season home opener against Incheon United at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th attracted a crowd of 51,670, setting the record for the largest crowd for a home opener in professional soccer history as well as the largest attendance for a single K-League game since the introduction of the promotion system in 2013. wrote.

This is also the record for the largest number of spectators in professional football since 2018, when the Korea Professional Football League began counting paid spectators. The previous record was 45,007 people recorded at the Seoul-Daegu game on April 8 last year. At the time, the popular singer Lim Young-woong performed with Si-chuk and his fans came to the stadium in large numbers. On the other hand, the Incheon game on this day opened the era of ‘50,000 spectators’ with a crowd of 6,600 more than the previous record, consisting of only pure soccer fans. It is also a new record for the largest number of spectators for a single K-League game since the promotion and relegation system was introduced in 2013. The previous record was 47,899 people gathered at Samsung’s ‘Super Match’ in Seoul and Suwon on June 18, 2016.

This is the 4th highest record in the 41-year history of professional soccer, including the time when only paid spectators were not counted. The highest record was 60,747 for the Seoul-Seongnam match on May 5, 2010, when child fans were admitted free to celebrate Children’s Day. Considering only the home opener, it ranks first in history. The previous record was the opening match between Seoul and Suwon on March 6, 2011 (51,606 people).

In fact, on this day, the Seoul World Cup Stadium was crowded with fans three hours before the game started. Crowds lined up at the Lingard uniform sales area, showing off its popularity.

Lingard showed flashes in his home debut, but was unable to report his first attack point. Coach Kim Ki-dong, who had predicted a replacement in the second half ahead of the game, saying, “Condition is not 100%,” brought in Lingard in the 30th minute of the first half, earlier than expected, as the attack was running frustratingly.

Lingard, who stepped on the Sangam Ground for the first time, delivered an exquisite penetration pass to Kang Sang-woo in the 35th minute of the first half, forcing him to face the goalkeeper. However, Kang Sang-woo’s attempted shot was blocked by the goalkeeper’s save. Still, the 50,000 spectators erupted in admiration at Lingard’s moves that showed his talent.

There were also some disappointing scenes. In the 39th minute of the second half, Lingard received a ball from the right side by Kang Seong-jin inside the penalty box and fired a right-footed shot, but it went wide over the goal. In the game on this day, Incheon showed a superiority in organization to the point where they had a 17-4 lead in the number of shots fired, but it ended in a 0-0 draw with neither team scoring. Seoul and Incheon, who had lost side by side in the first round, drew again on this day and were unable to secure their first win of the season.

Lingard said after the game, “It’s disappointing that we didn’t create many scoring chances,” and added, “We need more confidence as it’s only the beginning. I am grateful to many fans for coming today. “I will return the love and happiness I received by performing well on the field,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jeju, led by coach Kim Hak-beom, won 3-1 in the opening game of the second round against Daejeon. Coach Lee Jeong-hyo’s Gwangju won 4-2 in the home game against Gangwon FC, making it two wins in a row.

In K League 2 (Second Division), Suwon Samsung, which was relegated last season, lost 1-2 to Seoul E-Land. Suwon coach Yeom Ki-hoon, who pledged to win the championship undefeated, suffered his first loss in the second division after two games.

Reporter Jang Han-seo [email protected]

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