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The "ace" of the South Korean national football team, Lee Kang-in (25), started and delivered a strong performance against Manchester United (England). In particular, his club Atlético Madrid (Spain) scored the opening goal just 47 seconds after kickoff, with Lee Kang-in serving as the starting point.
Atlético defeated Manchester United 2-0 in their second match of the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League league phase, held on the 14th (Korean time) at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.
Lee Kang-in, who was named in the starting lineup, led the attack alongside Julián Álvarez and Alex Baena in a 4-4-2 formation.
He made his presence felt from the start of the match. Atlético scored the opening goal just 47 seconds after kickoff. Lee Kang-in laid the groundwork.
Lee Kang-in, who received the ball behind the halfway line, delivered a precise long pass to Baena, who was making a run forward. After receiving the ball on the left flank, Baena penetrated into the penalty box and passed it to Pablo Barrios, who had sprinted in from the opposite side.
Barrios immediately converted it with a shot, shaking Manchester United's net.
In effect, Lee Kang-in's single pass instantly dismantled Manchester United's defensive line.
Local Spanish media also highly praised Lee Kang-in's pass. Spain's "As" commended the scene of Atlético's opening goal, stating, "It was a brilliant play initiated by Lee Kang-in."
The outlet added, "Lee Kang-in delivered an excellent pass to Baena," explaining, "Lee Kang-in possesses exceptional skill when advancing the ball from deep positions. After Baena held and controlled the ball, he connected with Barrios. It was a good goal."
It further described that "Lee Kang-in threw a pass forward like a quarterback." This meant that, much like a quarterback in American football who develops an attack with long passes, Lee Kang-in served as the catalyst for the offensive play with a single long pass.
His passing accuracy also stood out. "As" praised him by noting, "Lee Kang-in did not miss a single pass in the first 20 minutes of the first half." It also compared this to Álvarez, who missed both of his passes at that time.
On this day, Lee Kang-in played a total of 61 minutes and recorded a 91% passing success rate. He accurately connected 32 out of 35 passes.
He completed two out of three long passes and recorded a total of 45 ball touches. He made four passes into the attacking third and successfully dribbled past an opponent once. Football statistics media FootMob gave Lee Kang-in a rating of 6.7.
Lee Kang-in was substituted off in the 16th minute of the second half, along with Barrios, "the hero of the opening goal." Applause poured out from Atlético's home fans for both players.
"As" also reported that "Barrios, who scored, and Lee Kang-in left the ground to applause."
Atlético maintained its lead even after Lee Kang-in's substitution. In the 29th minute of the second half, Manchester United defender Leny Yoro was sent off for fouling Jonathan David in a final defensive situation, giving Atlético a numerical advantage as well.
In the 34th minute of the second half, Ademola Lookman scored the additional goal. Although Manchester United's goalkeeper blocked David's shot, Lookman did not miss the rebound and pushed it in to extend the lead by two goals.
Ultimately, Atlético secured a decisive 2-0 victory, claiming their first win in the Champions League.
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*This content was translated by AI.View Original
