What happened to Lee Kang-in in his 'first absence'? He didn't even warm up before the match

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lee Kang-in (25) was absent for the first time since joining Atletico (AT) Madrid. It was reported that he did not even participate in the pre-match warm-up, which has been confirmed to be a precautionary measure due to a minor injury.

Pedro Pujana, a reporter for Spanish media outlet Cadena Ser, explained on social media (SNS) on the 21st (Korean time) why Lee Kang-in was absent from the away match against Stuttgart (Germany).

Reporter Pujana stated, "Lee Kang-in suffered a contusion in his quadriceps and also felt some mild discomfort, so he did not force himself to play. As a precaution, he did not even warm up." He added, "The season is long, so we need to manage playing time and focus on prevention to ensure no injury issues arise."

Lee Kang-in traveled with the team for the away leg against Stuttgart in the third match of the league phase of the 2026-2027 UEFA Champions League (UCL), held at the MHPArena in Stuttgart, Germany. Although his name was included on the substitute list, he ultimately did not enter the game as a substitute.

This is Lee Kang-in's first absence in 12 official matches since transferring to AT Madrid. Prior to the match against Stuttgart, Lee Kang-in had appeared in all nine La Liga matches and two UCL matches.

Given that the UCL is the most prestigious tournament and the next opponent is also a 'promoted team,' Deportivo La Coruna, it was not a clear point where physical rotation was necessary, inevitably drawing attention to the background of Lee Kang-in's first absence since his transfer.

However, news emerged that there were no other special reasons and the absence was precautionary due to a minor injury, raising expectations for a quick return to the pitch.

AT Madrid faces two important home matches in succession: the UCL league phase fourth match against Bayern Munich on the 4th of next month, and the La Liga match against FC Barcelona on the 9th, following back-to-back La Liga games against Deportivo and Levante.

Meanwhile, with Lee Kang-in absent, AT Madrid drew 1-1 with Stuttgart. After conceding the first goal in the 36th minute of the first half, Julian Alvarez scored an equalizer in the second minute of the second half, but the match could not be turned around due to the variable of Morten Hjulmand's red card in the 19th minute of the second half.

With this draw, AT Madrid recorded four points (one win, one draw, one loss) in the UCL league phase and is ranked 15th among 36 teams. In the UCL league phase, teams ranked 1st to 8th advance directly to the Round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th determine their tournament progression through a Round of 16 playoff.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original