"I even got crutches." Lee Min Seongho and Jeonbuk are also in "super emergency"... Ace Kang Sang-yoon's "Worried about injury"

*This content was translated by AI.

"Ace" Kang Sang-yoon (22, Jeonbuk Hyundai) collapsed during the game. He was carried off on a stretcher and was later seen on crutches. Lee Min-sung, who is challenging for the top of Asia, and Jeonbuk Hyundai, which is about to open the K-League next month, are truly "super-emergency."

Kang Sang-yoon started against Iran in the first Group C match of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-23 Asian Cup at Al-Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 7th (Korea time) and was replaced by an injury less than 30 minutes into the first half.

Kang Sang-yoon, a four-to-two two-top striker, worked diligently in the front from the beginning of the game and led the attack. However, after clearing the opponent's ball in a competitive ball situation, he felt pain in his leg and sat down as it was. Afterwards, Kang Sang-yoon left the stadium on a stretcher without being able to walk in person. After a while, Kang Sang-yoon was seen heading to the bench on crutches while wearing a protective band on his left knee.

Although a detailed examination is needed and the condition should be watched more, the possibility of a "conference drop" cannot be ruled out given that he was not able to leave the stadium on foot and was even seen on crutches. If it is difficult to play in the rest of the game and you need to focus more on treatment or rehabilitation, you may be released from the national team's call-up during the tournament and have to return home early. Since the competition has already opened, it is impossible to select a substitute player.

For Lee Min-sung, who is trying to recapture the top spot in Asia for the first time in six years, it is truly a huge unfavorable factor. This is because Kang Sang-yoon is a key player in the U-23 national team, enough to be assigned No. 10, the ace number. In fact, Lee Min-sung's performance also declined sharply immediately after Kang Sang-yoon was out due to injury. Although it set the tone in the second half, it drew 0-0 with Iran without scoring a goal in the end. If Kang Sang-yoon's participation in the rest of the tournament is difficult, he may have to play the rest of the tournament without a key player.

Jeonbuk clubs and fans also have no choice but to worry. Kang Sang-yoon was the "key" to winning Jeonbuk, as he was selected as the best 11 midfielder in the K League 1 last season. It was such a performance that former Jeonbuk coach Gus Foye praised it as "a talent to play for Jeonbuk someday." Throughout the last season, he has become a key player in Jeonbuk at once. Even after this tournament, he had to catch his breath for a while and then join the team to prepare for the next season. However, as he was injured from the first game of the new year, everyone had no choice but to feel anxious until the exact result of the injury came out.

It's a relief unless it's a bigger injury than expected, but in the worst case, it could be a sad bad news for Lee Min-sung and Jeonbuk clubs as well as Kang Sang-yoon since the beginning of the year. The exact degree of Kang Sang-yoon's injury and whether to cancel the national team's call-up will be announced through the Korea Football Association as early as the 8th through detailed examination and judgment within the national team.

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*This content was translated by AI.