Lee Kang-in Wearing PSG Korean Uniform, Was he Conscious of the Announcement of the National Team Roster?
Lee Kang-in, who is awaiting the announcement of the national soccer team roster, played full-time with his team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) with a 'Korean name'.
Lee Kang-in started in the 2023-2024 French Professional Football League 1 round 25 home game against Stade Reims at Parc des Princes in Paris, France on the 10th (Korean time) and roamed the pitch until the end of the game.
Lee Kang-in, who played as a right-wing striker, led PSG's attack by delivering quality crosses to the goal throughout the first half. 토토사이트 순위
In the 19th minute of the first half, a cross was put in front of the goal, helping striker Gonzalo Hamus score a goal that made it 2-1.
The ball left Lee Kang-in's foot on the right side and hit Reims midfielder Valentin Atangana's body and fell in front of Hamus, who calmly finished the ball and hit the net.
Lee Kang-in, who teamed up with Morocco national team's leading fullback Ashraf Hakimi on the right side, also aimed for the goal himself in the second half.
In the 18th minute of the second half, after deceiving two defenders, he kicked a strong shot with his right foot that was blocked by goalkeeper Jevan Diouf.
Two minutes later, he kicked low with his left foot, aiming for the bottom corner of the goal, but it did not result in a goal.
Lee Kang-in, who has shown the power of his left foot as his best weapon, now awaits the selection of interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, who will announce the national team roster.
At 11 a.m. on the 11th, Coach Hwang will announce the national team roster for the two-game series against Thailand for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round.
Lee Kang-in was heavily criticized after it was revealed that he physically clashed with Son Heung-min (Tottenham) during the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup.
There are many voices saying that Lee Kang-in should not be selected this time in order to provide an opportunity for self-reflection, but there are also strong arguments that the two players involved should be given a chance to make up for it through soccer, as they stepped forward to resolve the conflict.
On this day, to commemorate the opening of the 'PSG Flagship Store' in Seoul, PSG players, including Lee Kang-in, played in uniforms marked in Korean.
However, despite planning a special event at home, Reims took the lead due to Hakimi's mistake.
In the 6th minute of the first half, when Hakimi did not properly handle the ball in the penalty area, Marshall Munec caught it and hit the net.
Hakimi made up for his mistake 11 minutes later by inducing Eunice Abdilhamid's own goal with a sharp right-footed corner kick.
Reims, who had conceded a goal to Hamus in the 19th minute of the first half, then leveled the game in the 45th minute when Omar Diakite calmly kicked a pass from behind to the space behind the PSG defense.
As the 2-2 balance was not easily broken, PSG coach Luis Enrique brought in Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele in the 28th minute of the second half.
Lee Kang-in, who moved down to the midfielder position, seemed to focus on balancing offense and defense rather than creating attack opportunities.
PSG's ace Mbappe, who is certain to be transferred this summer, fired several shots, but was unable to open Reims' goal and had to be content with picking up one point.
PSG (56 points), with 16 wins, 8 draws, and 1 loss, maintained its lead in League 1 with a 10-point gap over second-place Brest (46 points).
Reims (35 points), with 10 wins, 5 draws, and 10 losses, also remained in 9th place.