“Korea, Son Heung-min is no longer a one-man team!” Lee Kang-in praised ESPN for “multi-goal explosion.”

South Korea beat Bahrain 3-1 in the first Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup held at Jasim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 15th (Korea time). South Korea had a good start with Lee Kang-in (PSG) scoring multiple goals.

Lee Kang-in, who has been to the Olympics, World Cup and Asian Games, made a strong impression on the Asian Cup stage for the first time with his amazing performance. After scoring two goals in the first leg, he tied for the top scorer in the tournament along with Takumi Minamino (Japan) and Akram Afif (Qatar).

Lee Kang-in, who has played for PSG, the “Mammoth Club” since last summer, is one of the star players who are drawing the most attention at the upcoming event. Ahead of the Asian Cup, AFC named Lee Kang-in as one of the five young stars that will shine at the Asian Cup, and expressed interest in him, saying, “Will he be able to succeed Park Ji-sung and win the title that he has been waiting for?” Indeed, he displayed performance that was not a waste of interest from the first game. 토토사이트 순위

As expected, the first opponent team Bahrain put more weight on defense than on offense, but Korea had a hard time getting through it. Until Hwang In-beom’s first goal in the 38th minute of the first half, the team had a frustrating game. Bahrain’s counterattack in the 33rd minute of the first half put the team on the verge of losing a critical point.

It was also largely due to Lee Kang-in being tied to the opponent’s intensive check until the middle of the first half. When Lee Kang-in caught the ball, two or three Bahrain players were surrounded and did not give up space. Lee Kang-in, who had completed his warm-up, played a great game in responding to expectations for him in the second half. It was more valuable because Korea struggled with Bahrain’s strong counterattack early in the second half, and each of his gestures shone after being beaten for six minutes in the second half.

Lee Kang-in scored in the 11th minute of the second half by stabbing the corner of the Bahrain goal with a powerful left-footed mid-range shot. He took the lead in five minutes when the atmosphere could subside by allowing an equalizer. South Korea, which increased its momentum, continued to beat the Bahrain goal, and Lee Kang-in came back as a troubleshooter.

After receiving a pass from Hwang In-beom at a counterattack in the 23rd minute of the second half, he calmly beat out a defender and scored multiple goals by gently curling it with his left foot. It was a decisive blow that dampened Bahrain’s willingness to pursue. ESPN praised Lee Kang-in’s performance, saying, “I think we can prove that Korea is no longer the ‘sole world-class player in the team.’

ESPN then explained, “There have been former captains such as Koo Ja-cheol and Ki Sung-yong, and current main players of the Korean national team such as Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom, and Lee Jae-sung, but they were reliable “role players” who did not disappoint the team rather than real game chains.” He also assessed, “Barrain’s double and triple pressure on Son Heung-min laid the groundwork for Lee Kang-in to grow to the next level.”