Lee Kang-In made his presence felt in his first start

Lee Kang-In (23, Paris Saint-Germain) made his presence felt in his first start in three games. But the three points were not enough.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) drew 2-2 with Reims in the 25th round of the 2023-2024 French Ligue 1 season at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France, on Tuesday (Oct. 10). After three consecutive draws, PSG maintained its lead at the top of the table with 56 points, 10 points clear of second-place Brest (46).

PSG deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Bradley Barcola-Gonzalo Hamus-Lee Kang-In, Warren Zairemery-Manuel Ugarte-Carlos Soler, Luca Hernandez-Lucas Veraldo-Danilo Pereira-Ashraf Hakimi, and Keylor Navas started in the back four.

It was the first time in three games that Lee was named in the starting lineup. He was benched in back-to-back games against AS Monaco in the last round and Real Sociedad in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) round of 16 second leg. Against Monaco, 토토사이트 he came on as a 41st-minute substitute, and against Sociedad, he came on at the start of the second half and recorded one assist.

On the day, PSG players wore jerseys with their names in Korean.

Lee Kang-in also wore a shirt that read “LEE KANG IN” instead of “LEE KANG IN” along with his number 19. It was the first time he wore a Korean-labeled jersey in front of his home fans to celebrate the opening of the PSG flagship store in Korea.

Lee is not a midfielder, but rather a right striker. He was the set-piece kicker and sent the ball to his teammates with a sharp left-footed kick. In the sixth minute of the first half, Danilu got a header on a corner kick from Lee, but his shot hit the side netting.

PSG took the lead on a silly mistake. In the seventh minute, Hakimi was first on the end of a cross from Junya Ito. However, as he was dragging the ball, he lost the ball to Oumar Diakite. Diakite’s sideways pass was finished by Marshall Munetsi, who rattled the net.

Lee Kang-In shows off his killer kick. In the 15th minute, Lee sent a pinpoint free kick to Barkola, who dived behind the defense. The ball was headed back to Hammus, who headed the ball back across goal.

PSG equalized. In the 17th minute, Hakimi’s corner kick deflected off Reims’ Younis Abdelhamid and into the back of the net. It was a lucky own goal for PSG.

With momentum on their side, PSG quickly turned the game around.

Lee Kang-In’s kick was the catalyst. In the 19th minute, Lee sent in a cross from the right that was poorly cleared by the Reims defense. Hamus took advantage, beating the defense to the ball and slotting it home. Lee was not credited with an official assist.

Reims equalized again. In the 45th minute, Diakite received a through ball and completely broke down the defense. He found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper and scored with a calm finish.

Lee Kang-in also had a chance when he linked up with Hakimi on the right. In the 18th minute of the second half, Lee was disappointed to see his effort saved by the keeper. He used body paint to strip the defense and unleashed a right-footed shot that went straight at the keeper.

PSG brought on Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele for Hammers and Soler in the 28th minute of the second half in search of the three points. Lee Kang-In showed his versatility by dropping to the center of the pitch in place of Soler.

There were no more goals.

Mbappe had a shot on goal in the 38th minute that went wide of the post, and another in the 45th minute that was straight at the keeper. The game ended in a 2-2 draw.

It was the first time in a while that Lee played the full 90 minutes in the league, and the first time in about three months since December last year against Lille.

On the day, Lee had 96 touches of the ball, an 83% pass completion rate, two key passes, two shots, two crosses, two long passes, five contested balls, and four fouls, earning him a rating of 7.3. His rating was the second highest on the team behind Hamus (7.7).

After the game, Lee told the club’s official website, “We knew it was going to be a tough game. We prepared to get the three points, but it didn’t happen. We have to continue to work hard to get the three points in our next league game.”

There was also talk of rotation. “All the players try to improve every day and do their best to play both midweek and weekend games. That’s very important. There is a lot of competition in this team, and everyone tries to improve every day.”

The local French media also gave Lee a favorable assessment.

They said that while he had his flaws, he showed flashes of brilliance. Most of the ratings were around 5.5, second only to Hamus.

Paris Fans gave Lee a 5.5 rating, saying, “The first half was excellent, not only in attitude but also in creative play. As is often the case, 파워볼실시간 he lacked inspiration in the second half. We expect more from him.”

Maxi Foot added: “Winger Lee Kang-In, who came on for Dembele, always has the advantage of being provocative. However, he still lost the ball a lot and was technically wasteful. However, his cross that led to Hammers’ goal made the difference,” giving him a 5.5 rating.

Foot Mercato had similar thoughts. “It was a rather depressing game. Lee Kang-in was overwhelmed by Reims’ strong physicality and shone much more with his passing than his dribbling. The versatile midfielder sent a few passes that could have led to assists. However, he was technically sloppy and lost numerous balls. Nevertheless, Lee’s technical genius created several good chances. In the second half, he won battles and contributed hard defensively, but he needs to be more tidy in his finishing.”