Golden left foot still shining, 1 help after injury that was disappointing → Lee Kang-in, the next ace who was certain to have the highest number of 13 times by both teams
Sep 10, 2025
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South Korea's national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, drew 2-2 against Mexico in a friendly match at Geodyspark in Nashville, Tennessee, USA on the 10th (Korea time).
Lee Kang-in, who was listed on the starting list for the game. Considering the situation surrounding him and various conditions, we had no choice but to expect his performance. Lee Kang-in has recently lost his position in his team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). In the second half of the 2024-2025 season, coach Luis Enrique preferred a fixed starting lineup, with Khvicha Kvaratshelia joining the team. Lee Kang-in was not on the list. A chance was given in a game of relatively low importance. He couldn't even impress with his disappointing performance.
Recently, there have been voices of concern that he will not be selected even with Usman Dembele and Desiree Doue absent. France's Lekif is ahead of Lee Kang-in as a right flanker, Ibrahim Mbaye. Mbaye has been consistently ahead of Lee Kang-in since the beginning of this summer. The prospect that Mbaye, a 17-year-old prospect, will come forward instead of Lee Kang-in suggests Lee Kang-in's current position.
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The opponent was director Javier Aguirre. Coach Aguirre is the coach who grew Lee Kang-in in the 2022-2023 season while positioning Mallorca from 2022 to 2024. Lee Kang-in, whose growth slowed down after leaving Valencia at the time, made remarkable progress under Aguirre. Aguirre actively utilized Lee Kang-in's pass, field of view, cross, and de-pressure ability to use him as the team's ace. His physicality has also grown, and he has become a player who will not be short of playing in Europe's top five league big clubs. He succeeded in transferring to PSG, raising his student to a higher level. Lee Kang-in met with coach Aguirre and said hello ahead of the game.
However, there were concerns. Since he was injured ahead of the U.S. match, it was difficult to guarantee whether he could be in 100% condition. Nevertheless, Lee Jae-sung left the national team early due to injury, and Lee Kang-in had to start and lead the attack.
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He also showed off an incredible pass. In the 20th minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in delivered the ball in front of Oh Hyun-kyu's foot penetrating with a left-footed outfront kick near the half-line. Oh Hyun-kyu received the ball and immediately advanced to the box, but the shot went off the goal. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Lee Kang-in's cross headed sharply to the gate in a free kick situation, but it was caught in defense at the last minute.
In the second half, he was in charge of both sides with Son Heung-min, who was substituted. In the 23rd minute of the second half, a sharp kick touched Oh Hyun-kyu's head in a free kick situation, but the direction was not directed to the goal. There was also a regrettable situation. He looked a little heavy. There was also a scene where the ball was taken away by struggling under rough pressure from the opponent near the half-line.
After continuous attempts, he even scored an attack point. In the 30th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in stabbed Oh Hyun-kyu accurately. Oh Hyun-kyu, who caught the ball, calmly grabbed the ball in the box and tried to shake the net. Lee Kang-in ended his performance by replacing Seol Young-woo in the 35th minute of the second half.
Lee Kang-in played 80 minutes of the game, recording a 75% pass success rate, three long passes successful, and eight ball possession recoveries, and failed 13 times, the most by both teams in the competition for the ball. Although his contribution to the attack as an ace was certain, it was a regrettable game in which question marks were raised again about his performance in the midfield.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
