Lee Kang-in Dribbled Past Three Defenders! 'Explosive Presence' from Injury Return... All Four Dribbles Successful, Atletico Also Secures 1-0 Victory

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The 'ace' of the South Korean national football team, Lee Kang-in (25, Atletico Madrid), shook off injury concerns to return as a starter and contributed to his team's victory.

Atletico won 1-0 in their home match against Deportivo La Coruna on the morning of the 25th at 4:00 a.m. (KST) at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, in Round 10 of the 2026-2027 Spanish La Liga season.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone placed Lee Kang-in on the right flank. The formation was a 4-2-3-1. Lee Kang-in formed the second line alongside Alex Baena and Ademola Lookman, supporting front-line striker Julian Alvarez.

The significance of his return as a starter, overcoming injury concerns, was considerable.

Lee Kang-in did not play in the European Football Union (UEFA) Champions League (UCL) match against Stuttgart (Germany) on the 21st. After the previous Spain match, he had experienced overloading symptoms in the quadriceps, the muscles at the front of the thigh.

Fortunately, it did not develop into a major injury. Atletico managed Lee Kang-in's physical condition by adjusting his training volume, and Lee Kang-in completed the final training session before the Deportivo match normally.

Previously, local Spanish media had predicted the possibility of Lee Kang-in starting. Indeed, Manager Simeone chose Lee Kang-in as a starter over position rival Giuliano Simeone.

From his return match, Lee Kang-in was aggressive. He participated in attack development centered on the right flank and moved widely to the center to seek opportunities.

The most threatening scene occurred in the 37th minute of the first half. Lee Kang-in carried the ball himself and broke through Deportivo's defensive line. He penetrated between three defenders, advanced to the goal mouth, and directly connected a shot, shaking the opposing defense.

Although it did not lead to a goal, it was an aggressive breakthrough that made it hard to view him as a player who had rested one match due to recent thigh issues.

Atletico, which ended the first half with a 0-0 draw, broke the deadlock in the third minute of the second half. Alejandro Grimaldo passed from the left side of the penalty box, and Alvarez surged forward to push the ball into the goal.

Lee Kang-in was substituted off for Alexander Sorelrot in the 22nd minute of the second half, ending his match.

Although he did not record an offensive point, his performance content was solid. Lee Kang-in touched the ball 38 times and controlled it three times inside the opposing penalty box.

In particular, he showed a perfect display in dribbling. He attempted four dribbles in total, succeeding in all of them to record a 100% success rate. The scene where he consecutively beat three defenders and connected a shot in the 37th minute of the first half also occurred during this process.

He also won all five ground duels, achieving a 100% success rate. He won one out of three aerial ball duels. He recorded two ball recoveries and drew one foul from the opponent. He attempted four long passes, accurately connecting two of them.

Football statistics media FootMob gave Lee Kang-in a rating of 7.2. Another statistics media, SofaScore, also gave him a high rating of 7.4.

Although there were no offensive points, it was a meaningful performance considering it was his injury return match. Above all, he showed aggressive dribbling and active participation in attacks, as if erasing concerns about his physical condition.

Atletico also secured three points with Lee Kang-in's return to the starting lineup. With this victory, Atletico recorded 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss (25 points), maintaining second place in La Liga. They are chasing leader Barcelona (27 points) by a two-point gap, continuing their title race.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original