Jesse Lingard made his long-awaited debut for Corinthians in a 3-1 defeat against Fluminense at the Maracana.
Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard joined Corinthians as a free agent last month.
The 33-year-old was made to wait to make his debut for Corinthians, spending the last month working on his fitness in Brazil following a previous stint with South Korean side FC Seoul.
Lingard has been impressing Corinthians staff since joining the club, before being handed his debut against Fluminense, who are currently sitting second in Brazil’s Serie A.
Jesse Lingard makes Corinthians debut
Photo by Ruano Carneiro/Getty Images
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Jesse Lingard plays 45 minutes in first Corinthians appearance
In Rio de Janeiro against Fluminense, Lingard made his debut for Corinthians.
The trip ended in defeat for 10-man Corinthians as Fluminense opened the scoring after 20 minutes through John Kennedy. Unfortunately for Corinthians, the deficit was stretched to two goals before the break as Hercules doubled his side’s advantage.
Lingard was brought on as a substitute at half-time, but Corinthians midfielder Allan Rodrigues was shown a second yellow card and sent off in the 55th minute.
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The former United academy graduate played 45 minutes, but was unable to help turn the game around for his new side.
Lingard recorded a 81% pass success rate and had one shot on target when he came close to scoring from close range before being denied by the goalkeeper.
Throughout the second half, Lingard had 27 touches of the ball, but Fluminense were in cruise control at this stage.
In the 83rd minute, Rodrigo Castillo sealed the win with Fluminense’s third goal before Andre pulled one back for Corinthians.
It wasn’t the debut Lingard wanted, but at least he’s now off the mark. The England international will be looking forward to his first start under Dorival Júnior.
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When is Jesse Lingard set to play again for Corinthians?
Corinthians host Internacional on Sunday.
That means Lingard could make his first start for his new club, but another substitute could be planned as Júnior implements the experienced England international into his team.
Among the milestones Lingard will want to achieve next is his first goal and assist for Corinthians.
Lingard will also want to help Corinthians move up the league table from sitting in 11th.
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