Completely captivated by Spain! "A goal like Lee Kang-in's work"... Debut goal leads to MVP selection, hailed again as "the protagonist of tonight"

*This content was translated by AI.

Korean national team ace Lee Kang-in has completely captivated the Spanish scene from his debut match.

On the 20th (Korea time), Atletico secured a decisive 2-0 victory over Malaga in their home opener for the first round of the 2026-2027 La Liga season at Madrid's Metropolitano Stadium.

The standout player of the day was Lee Kang-in. Although he started on the bench, he was substituted in during the 12th minute of the second half and scored his debut goal with a spectacular curling shot using his left foot.

In the 25th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in received a long pass from David Hernandez on the right side of the opponent's penalty box. He then used his individual skills and dribbling to unsettle the opposing defenders.

He then momentarily slowed down his pace to completely steal the defenders' timing before unleashing his signature left foot. The precisely curled shot was drawn into the top-left corner of the goal.

This was Lee Kang-in's first goal since joining Atletico, scored in his return to La Liga and his league debut for the club. It also carried great significance as the opening goal that broke the 0-0 deadlock in front of home fans.

After the match, Spanish media outlet AS evaluated the performances of Atletico players who faced Malaga. The headline itself was striking: "Lee Kang-in fever has landed at the Metropolitano."

Furthermore, AS selected Lee Kang-in as the match's Most Valuable Player (MVP), praising him as "the biggest protagonist of the night."

The report continued, stating, "Lee Kang-in targeted the goal immediately after being substituted in during the 12th minute. He first attempted a shot that missed, then took another shot from directly in front of the penalty box following good build-up play."

AS also covered Lee Kang-in's debut goal scene in detail. The outlet said, "Finally, it was Lee Kang-in's time in the 25th minute of the second half. Starting from the right, he momentarily appeared to let the ball slip away but then stopped abruptly. After perfectly deceiving the defender, he finished accurately to make it 1-0."

Notably, the media added, "Although Lee Kang-in had not scored in official matches for nearly four months, he announced his new beginning with a 'work of art' goal in his first official match wearing the Atletico jersey."

His contribution did not end with the goal. In the 28th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in also created a decisive scoring opportunity for Ademola Lookman. However, Lookman's finish missed, so it did not result in an attacking point.

He also contributed defensively. Lee Kang-in recorded a 93% pass success rate, three tackles, and one ball recovery. He won all four ground duels, boasting a 100% success rate.

AS also highly praised this aspect. The media gave him a thumbs-up, stating, "He showed significant activity even without the ball and was the most actively involved player among those substituted in that day."

The evaluation from statistical outlets was also positive. Sofascore awarded Lee Kang-in a rating of 8.1, while FotMob gave him a high score of 7.9. His rating on WhoScored.com was 7.8.

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*This content was translated by AI.