"Lee Kang-in's flawless play reminds one of De Jong," commentator Lee Young-pyo exclaims... Stock price soars despite 'missing Champions League final'

*This content was translated by AI.

The 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Group F match between the Netherlands and Japan. Suddenly, Lee Young-pyo, a KBS soccer commentator, thought of Lee Kang-in (25, Paris Saint-Germain).

The 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Group F match between the Netherlands and Japan was held at the Dallas Stadium in the United States starting at 5 a.m. (Korean time) on the 15th. Commentator Lee Young-pyo took on the live commentary role on-site.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Commentator Lee Young-pyo exclaimed, calling it "a match that shows Japan's growth," as both teams shared one point each.

Looking at the FIFA rankings alone, the Netherlands ranked 8th, significantly ahead of Japan at 18th. Thus, it is true that the balance of power leaned somewhat toward the Netherlands.

Before the match, Commissioner Lee Young-pyo expressed respect regarding Japan's statement about winning the World Cup, saying, "It is not easy for an Asian team to talk about winning, but Japan has its reasons. They defeated England and Brazil, and just four years ago, they beat Spain. It is a well-founded confidence."

However, he coldly evaluated that "it is still true that the Netherlands is ahead of Japan. Japan was unable to achieve the ideal state they desired." As a key point of the match, he focused on the attacking power of the Netherlands, a "European powerhouse" that advanced to the finals flawlessly, and Japan, a "strong Asian team."

In the first half, the Netherlands dominated Japan, and in this process, Lee Young-pyo thought of Lee Kang-in. While joking, "When I watched the match between Korea and the Czech Republic, it must have been quite difficult, but today I feel very at ease," Commissioner Lee Young-pyo added, "Lee Kang-in maintained 100% passing ability throughout the match against the Czech Republic. It was flawless play. Today, the only player who could play such a match is the Netherlands' Frenkie de Jong," applauding de Jong's stable play in the midfield.

De Jong showed his talent early on at Ajax and then transferred to Barcelona at the age of 22, where he has continued to perform steadily. This evaluation shows that Lee Kang-in has grown to the level of a world-class midfielder.

However, looking only at the first match of the World Cup group stage, Lee Kang-in's performance stood out more. According to H2HScored.com, Lee Kang-in demonstrated the ability of a passing master with a 100% pass success rate (38/38) and 3 key passes. He also attempted 8 dribbles, succeeding 5 times. His rating was 8.0, the second highest among Korean players after Hwang In-beom (8.4).

De Jong also recorded a 95% pass success rate (69/73) and 1 key pass through stable operation. His rating was 7.03. In terms of team victory, rating, and pass success rate, Lee Kang-in surpassed De Jong in all categories. Although Lee Kang-in had to swallow his regrets by only sitting on the bench in the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League final, he is already leading global attention just at the beginning of the tournament.

Japan improved its performance in the second half, and four goals were scored in the second half alone, leading to an intense battle. When Krisen Summer's sharp goal went in in the 19th minute of the second half while the score was tied 1-1, the Netherlands once again dominated the match. Commissioner Lee Young-pyo watched the match in excitement, saying, "Summer's speed and individual ability are devastating Japan's left side. It is a speed and judgment that tramples the opponent. The atmosphere of the match is changing rapidly within 2 or 3 minutes."

However, the match ended in a 2-2 draw with a tying goal by Daichi Kamada in the 43rd minute of the second half. Commissioner Lee Young-pyo summarized, "It was an opportunity to confirm the growth of Asian soccer. The Netherlands is indeed a great team and one of the world's strongest, but it is not a team mentioned as a championship contender. It was a match that showed how much Japan has grown."

Sweden defeated Tunisia 5-1 to secure first place in Group F, followed by Japan and the Netherlands.

KBS is exclusively broadcasting all matches of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup, held from June 11 to July 19, on terrestrial television. The South Korean national team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Mexico on the 19th at 10 a.m. and South Africa on the 25th at 10 a.m. in the group stage following their victory against the Czech Republic. The matches can be viewed on TV through KBS and JTBC, and online via Chzzk.

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*This content was translated by AI.