"Lee Kang-in's left foot possesses incredible skill; I want to see it more often" — Praise from local Spanish media... Key role in opening goal against Barcelona, "His play improves whenever he touches the ball"

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Lee Kang-in (25) of Spanish professional football club Atletico Madrid received positive evaluations from local media despite a loss to Barcelona.

Atletico suffered a 1-2 comeback defeat in their home match against Barcelona on the 9th (Korean time) at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, in the 12th round of the 2026-2027 Spanish La Liga season.

With this result, Atletico recorded a record of nine wins, one draw, and two losses (28 points), securing third place in the league standings. Meanwhile, Barcelona maintained its top position with 11 wins and one loss (33 points). The point gap between the two teams widened to five points.

Lee Kang-in, the "ace" of the South Korean national team, started as a forward in the team's 4-4-2 formation. He partnered with Argentine forward Julian Alvarez.

On this day, Lee Kang-in played for 60 minutes until he was substituted for Alexander Sorloth in the 15th minute of the second half. Although he did not record an attacking point, he played a crucial role in the team's opening goal in the 10th minute of the first half. He delivered a fantastic left-footed outfront pass from the right flank, disrupting the opposing defense.

Subsequently, Alvarez received the ball and crossed it to Giuliano Simeone, who was making a run toward the goal, and Giuliano calmly finished the play.

Local Spanish media also took note of this scene.

Spanish outlet AS evaluated Atletico players' performance in the match against Barcelona, highlighting Lee Kang-in's exceptional left-foot skill.

The outlet praised Lee Kang-in, stating, "He should have taken on the role that Antoine Griezmann played, who posed a significant threat in last season's tournament matches against Barcelona," adding, "While he is still finding a position where he can possess the ball more consistently and be involved in the game, his play improves whenever Lee Kang-in gets hold of the ball."

In particular, they highly rated the passing ability demonstrated by Lee Kang-in. AS reported, "Lee Kang-in switches the ball to the opposite flank, as seen in Giuliano's goal sequence, finds spaces left open by the opposing defense, and picks up his teammates' penetrating movements."

They emphasized, "He has considerable skill with his left foot. We need to see that more often."

Another Spanish outlet, Mundo Deportivo, described Atletico's opening goal scene as a "perfect counterattack."

The outlet explained, "Everything started with South Korean player Lee Kang-in on the right flank," noting, "Lee Kang-in accurately delivered the ball to the opposite side using the outside of his left foot."

In the match against Barcelona, Lee Kang-in recorded 24 touches and an 89% pass success rate (17/19). He attempted seven long passes and completed five of them.

He also recorded one successful dribble, one shot on target, and four passes in the attacking area. Football statistics media outlet FotMob gave Lee Kang-in a rating of 6.6.

However, Atletico suffered a comeback defeat at home despite scoring the opening goal. They conceded an equalizer to Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez in the 45th minute of the first half. In the 21st minute of the second half, Fermin received a pass from Lamine Yamal and scored the winning goal.

Atletico attempted a comeback afterward but ultimately failed to score an equalizer, bowing their heads in defeat.

Meanwhile, AS also gave a positive evaluation to Alex Baena, a key resource for Atletico. The outlet assessed, "The confidence Baena has in his football was evident in the direction-changing pass that led to Giuliano's goal."

They added, "Knowing that his play is currently going well, he takes bold challenges."

On the other hand, they delivered a cold evaluation of forward Alvarez. Although Alvarez recorded an assist on this day, he left room for regret by missing two decisive scoring opportunities.

AS pointed out, "The fact that he lacks confidence was revealed once again," stating, "His finishing is not sharp. If he is the team's star, he must convert such opportunities into goals."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original