"Lee Kang-in was not as dazzling as usual, but shone when needed" praised for Real match... "His presence grew stronger in the second half"

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korea national team ace Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid) drew positive local evaluations in Spain despite failing to record an offensive point in the "Madrid Derby."

Atletico secured a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in the 2026-2027 La Liga match held in Madrid, Spain on the 21st (Korea time).

The side that emerged victorious from the fierce Madrid derby was Atletico.

The first half ended in a tight 0-0 draw.

The match swung dramatically in the second half. Real defender Dean Huijsen was sent off in the 7th minute of the second half, giving Atletico a numerical advantage.

Atletico took the lead in the 8th minute of the second half with a penalty kick by Alejandro Grimaldo.

In the 14th minute of the second half, Jonathan David scored an additional goal with assistance from Giuliano Simeone, extending the lead to 2-0.

Real Madrid also did not give up easily. Antonio Rudiger scored a header in the final moments of the match to pull one back, but there was insufficient time to overturn the result.

Ultimately, Atletico secured a valuable three points by holding on to a 2-1 victory.

Lee Kang-in also started and played 89 minutes, contributing to the victory.

There were no offensive points, but he made his presence felt in the role of protecting and connecting the ball.

Lee Kang-in, positioned in the second line of a 3-4-2-1 formation, recorded 73 touches and completed 48 of his 57 passes for an 84% success rate.

He touched the ball five times inside the opponent's penalty box and created one scoring opportunity. He also successfully completed one cross, one long pass, and one dribble.

He was also active in defense, contributing to both offense and defense with two tackles and four ball recoveries.

Lee Kang-in's game management skills were highly rated even in Spain.

The Spanish outlet As praised Lee Kang-in after the match, stating that his performance improved as time went on while evaluating Atletico players' efforts.

The media explained that "Lee Kang-in was somewhat inconspicuous in the first half but became more prominent in the second half."

Particularly, when Atletico needed to control the game's pace and maintain possession while regaining their breath, attention focused on Lee Kang-in's role.

As said, he became one of the players who provided the most composure when Atletico needed to regain possession of the ball.

He added, "Lee Kang-in's crosses were threatening, and his ability to keep the ball allowed the team to escape from opponent pressure."

He also emphasized that "while he did not show a flashy performance like in other games, his presence grew at moments when the team needed it."

Football statistics media FootMob also gave Lee Kang-in a rating of 7.2.

Another statistical media outlet, Sofascore, and Hukscore both gave it a rating of 6.8.

With the win on this day, Atletico recorded five wins, one draw, and one loss (16 points), moving up to second place in the league. They are now chasing top-ranked Barcelona, which has 21 points.

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*This content was translated by AI.