It has emerged as the center of PSG. Lee Kang-in played 61 minutes as the opening starter of League 1 and contributed to 10 wins. 3rd place in the team

Aug 18, 2025

It has emerged as the center of PSG. Lee Kang-in played 61 minutes as the opening starter of League 1 and contributed to 10 wins. 3rd place in the team



It has emerged as the center of PSG. Lee Kang-in played 61 minutes as the opening starter of League 1 and contributed to 10 wins. 3rd place in the team
'Golden Boy' Lee Kang-in's position in the team is soaring. Thanks to the UEFA Super Cup performance, coach Luis Enrique's confidence seems to have soared.

In the end, he started from the opening game of League 1 in the 2025-2026 season and played on the ground for 61 minutes, helping the team win 1-0. Although he did not score an offensive point, he performed well with a rating that ranks second in the team.

Lee Kang-in started as a side midfielder in the opening match of the French League 1 in the 2025-2026 season against Nantes at Stade de la Bozoire in Nantes, France, early on the 18th (Korea time). On this day, Enrique operated a 4-3-3 formation. Bradley Barcola, Gonzalo Hamus and Ibrahim Mbaye were placed in front. Lee Kang-in came out as a side midfielder along with Manuel Ugarte and Vitinha. Four backs were played by Luca Hernandez, Lucas Veraldu, Ilya Zavarnie and Warren Zaire-Emery. The starting keeper was Lucas Schvalier.




The opposing team Nantes also included Korean players on the starting list. Kwon Hyuk-kyu started as a central midfielder in the 4-3-3 formation and competed against Lee Kang-in. It was Kwon Hyuk-kyu's official debut in Nantes. Hong Hyun-seok, a member of Nantes, was substituted in the second half, and as many as three Korean players participated in the game.

It has emerged as the center of PSG. Lee Kang-in played 61 minutes as the opening starter of League 1 and contributed to 10 wins. 3rd place in the team
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Lee Kang-in's position in the team has risen rapidly. Lee Kang-in, who had lost his position in the team at the end of the 2024-2025 season and was classified as a "sale target", revived again through the 2025 UEFA Super Cup against Europa League winner Tottenham Hotspur at Blue Energy Stadium in Udine, Italy, on the 14th.

Lee Kang-in was put on the ground in the 23rd minute of the second half. Lee Kang-in played a role in creating creative attack opportunities in the second line. Lee Kang-in opened the turnaround by scoring his team's first goal with a picturesque left-footed mid-range shot in the 40th minute of the second half when he was trailing 0-2.




This shot changed the air on the ground. Tottenham players' expressions, who were sure of winning, hardened for a moment. Lee Kang-in's powerful mid-range shot panicked Tottenham. In the end, PSG continued the game until the penalty shootout with Gonzalo Hamus' equalizer in the second half extra time, and Lee Kang-in scored as the team's fourth kicker. As PSG won and won the penalty shootout, Lee Kang-in became the team's hero.

Thanks to this, Lee Kang-in's position in the team seems to have recovered again. Coach Enrique gave him a chance to start the opening game. Lee Kang-in coordinated the direction of the team's attack with a long pass using a strong kick throughout the first half. However, despite the overwhelming ball possession, the PSG offense did not finish clearly.

Lee Kang-in also attempted a left-footed shot from inside the penalty box in the 35th minute of the first half. He had to swallow his disappointment by getting hit by the defender's body. The first half ended 0-0.In the first half, PSG shot nine times. Nantes finished in the first inning.




In the second half, Nantes tried to change first. In the 14th minute of the second half, Evelyn and Hong Hyun-seok were replaced. As a result, three Korean players, Lee Kang-in, Hong Hyun-suk, and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, showed off their presence among the 22 players on the ground. Hong Hyun-seok made his name by attempting a strong mid-range shot eight minutes after the replacement.

It has emerged as the center of PSG. Lee Kang-in played 61 minutes as the opening starter of League 1 and contributed to 10 wins. 3rd place in the team
Lee Kang-in was replaced by Desiree Doue in the 16th minute of the second half. Along with Lee Kang-in, PSG also replaced Fabian Ruiz, Ibrahim Mbaye and Luca Hernandez. Usman Dembele, Accraff Hakimi and Nuno Mendes entered.

The drastic replacement of four players quickly paid off. Six minutes after the substitution, the winning goal was scored. Vitinya caught the ball outside the penalty arc and then tried to shoot a mid-range shot with his right foot. The ball hit the defense and flew in the opposite direction of the goalkeeper's prediction, shaking the net.

It has emerged as the center of PSG. Lee Kang-in played 61 minutes as the opening starter of League 1 and contributed to 10 wins. 3rd place in the team
It has emerged as the center of PSG. Lee Kang-in played 61 minutes as the opening starter of League 1 and contributed to 10 wins. 3rd place in the team
Hamus then scored an additional goal in the 32nd minute of the second half, but the goal was canceled after VAR. Enrique replaced Hamus with Khvicha Kvaratshelia in the 33rd minute of the second half. Kravatshelia, who pushed Lee Kang-in to the bench as soon as he joined earlier this year, came out as a substitute in the opening game. Nantes also put in Francis Coquelin and Amadi Kamara a minute later, excluding Kwon Hyuk-kyu and Mostafa Mohammed.

However, it did not change the trend. There was still a PSG-led attack flow, and Nantes was in a hurry to stop it. In the end, the game ended 1-0.

Lee Kang-in received good reviews after the game. European soccer statistics company Huscoard Dotcom gave Lee Kang-in a 7.03 point rating after playing 61 minutes. Lee Kang-in recorded two shots, three key passes, a 91.9% pass success rate, one successful aerial ball competition, and 79 ball touches. Vitinya, who scored the winning goal, ranked first with a 7.99 rating. The second in the rating was Veraldu, who received a 7.30.

Other statistical company, Sofascore, also gave Lee Kang-in a high rating of 7.4. It is also the third-best record in the team after Vitinya and Veraldu. Lee Kang-in certainly seems to have re-established himself as the center of PSG.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.