Jesse Lingard heads in winner as FC Seoul beat Daejeon

FC Seoul captain Jesse Lingard scored his second K League goal in the capital side’s 2-1 win over Daejeon Hana Citizen at home on Wednesday — this time from a header rather than a penalty.

FC Seoul midfielder Jesse Lingard, center, celebrates during a K League 1 match against Daejeon Hana Citizen at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul in a photo shared on his Instagram account on Wednesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

FC Seoul captain Jesse Lingard scored his second K League goal in the capital side’s 2-1 win over Daejeon Hana Citizen at home on Wednesday — this time from a header rather than a penalty.

With the game tied at 1-1 following an opener from Daejeon forward Peniel Mlapa in the sixth minute and equalizer by Cho Young-wook in the 60th minute, Lingard headed in the winner in the 65th minute, capitalizing on a cross from Kang Sang-woo.

The English midfielder even brought out his iconic "flute" celebration — although any flautist will notice some serious issues with this description — from his Manchester United glory days.

Wednesday’s goal was Lingard’s second at FC Seoul after scoring a penalty against Gangwon FC on June 26.

His recent form is a contrast to the early days of the season, when he seemed to struggle to adapt to the squad.

After joining FC Seoul in February ahead of the 2024 K League 1 season, Lingard failed to rack up a single goal or assist in the first few games and missed matches from mid-March to mid-May due to injury.

He even drew criticism from FC Seoul manager Kim Gi-dong for his unimpressive performance against Jeju United on March 16, after which Kim said the following: “ Fame doesn't win football games. If it did, I would have brought in a famous retired player.”

But since returning from injury on May 19 against Daegu FC, Lingard has displayed improvements, making effective passes with agile movements that has even allowed him to play with the captain's armband since June 16.

His six games as captain have brought FC Seoul good results in the league, recording four wins, one draw and one loss.

With an important three points from Wednesday’s fixture, FC Seoul will head down south to face defending champions Ulsan HD on Saturday.

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