Midfielder Lee Kang-in (22), who plays for French professional football Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), scored his second assist of the season, helping his team win.
Lee Kang-in assisted his teammate Vitinha’s goal in the third minute of the second half at a home game against FC Mes in the French League 1 held at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France on Monday. Playing as a side wingback in the 3-4-3 formation, Lee served as the starting point for the team’s goal scorer who broke the 0-0 balance with a sharp cross. Since then, PSG has won 3-1, thanks to back-to-back goals by its main striker Kylian Mbappe.
This is the second time Lee Kang-in has scored an assist since joining PSG. He added valuable help in 53 days after assisting Mbappe’s score in the 28th minute of the first half with a 1-0 lead in the away game against Brest (3-2 PSG) in October.
PSG, which secured the victory on the day, finished the first half with 12 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss. With 40 points, it beat runner-up Nice (35 points) by five points to lead the league.
Lee Kang-in has established a solid position in the team by starting in five regular league games and seven consecutive games including the Cup since the match against Reims on the 11th of last month, but the local media in France is rather cold. Some media outlets have reported that Lee Kang-in is not good enough. Pierre Menes, a local commentator in charge of PSG’s game broadcast, criticized, “Lee Kang-in tends to be overly biased toward the side. He scored two or three beautiful goals, but he has no personality.”
However, PSG coach Luis Enrique defended Lee Kang-in positively. “He may be unfamiliar to those who do not watch the Spanish Primera Liga, but he is a player who not only excels in technology but also knows how to sacrifice for his team,” Enrique said ahead of the match. “He can play both wing roles and plays in the center as well. Sometimes he can play fake No.9 (front line striker). He also boasts excellent defensive skills. He is very important to our team,” Enrique said. “He is treated as a superstar in Korea.”
Lee Kang-in, who wrapped up his schedule in the first half of the year, will take a short break and join the Korean national team early next year. He will join the national team from early next year ahead of the Asian Cup finals in Qatar in January next year, and will seek to win the Asian Cup title for the first time in 64 years since 1960. 토토사이트