Matheus Interview: "I will try to give 100% to reach K League 1"

FC Anyang survived an early red card and intense late pressure to see off rivals Ansan Greeners 2-1 on Saturday night. Following the match, K League United caught up with the influential midfielder Matheus Olivera, who played a key role in both Anyang goals.

FC Anyang are nine points clear at the summit of K League 2 before a likely title decider in Mokdong this Tuesday. This was the sort of backs-against-the-wall win that defines championships. Despite being decidedly second best for most of the opening quarter, Anyang's situation got even worse when Nicholas was sent off for a headbutt on the edge of the Ansan area.

The Brazilian, recently recruited to replace his compatriot Danrlei, was shown a yellow card for an elbow on 21 minutes. Four minutes later, he was involved in a spat off the ball and appeared to lash out with his head. Contact was minimal but Nicholas' intervention was idiotic and it could have cost his side in the championship race.

Fortunately for Anyang, the spine of their team is as good as anything in this league and this helped them overcome the early setback to win all three points. Kim Da-sol was heroic in goals, deservedly picking up the man-of-the-match award. Kim Jung-hyun was outstanding in midfield, alongside Yago, who scored the team's winning goal. And Matheus, leading the line following the red, had a superb game, too.

[READ: FC Anyang 2-1 Ansan Greeners. Match report]

I caught up with Matheus after the match, and this is what he had to say.

Q1: Congratulations on the victory. How do you feel?

A1:  Thank you. We are very happy in the changing room because today was a very tough game for us. But finally, we got the three points. We will take the lessons well from today's game and train well for our next match (versus Seoul E-Land this Tuesday).

Q2: What was the message from the coaches after the red card and how pleased are you that your team responded so well?

A2: When Nicholas received the red card, we were worried because Nicholas always plays as the lone striker up top. He was unlucky today. We need Nicholas because he always helps when we are on the counterattack because of his speed. He's a good player. When Nicholas was sent off, the players had to communicate to make sure we got the points.

Q3: Three minutes into the second half, Ansan equalized against the 10 men. Were you worried at that point?

A3: We lost the goal very quickly at the start of the second half, but we didn't think about losing the goal or the game. We thought about how to take control of the ball and score another goal. I tried to take another shot and then I almost scored but it was good because Yago scored. I was very happy with how that went, but, I think we were very lucky today.

Q4: How do you feel about your own performance? You set up two goals and played almost 70 minutes in tough conditions.

A4: Today was a very tough game but I try to give 100% every game. I wanted to start the counterattacks quickly so I ran very quickly and ran long distances. That made it a very tough game. We changed the formation at half-time to play on the counterattack more so I used all my energy for that.

Q5: Anyang are now nine points clear with Seoul E-Land to play next week. Do you think about promotion?

A5: We can't think about promotion yet because Seoul E-Land have almost come to the top. Even though the difference is nine points, we don't want to think about that. We just keep watching our future but we must go into the first league. So I will try to give 100% in all the matches and the training to reach K League 1.