“Nineteen minutes was enough for Lee Kang-man. He was much cleaner and more decisive in attack than Dembele. He led the Paris Saint-Germain attack with efficiency.”

Lee Kang-In (22, Paris Saint-Germain) showed his potential on a stage of stars. Locals rated him higher than Ousmane Dembele, who started despite a brief appearance as a substitute.

Paris Saint-Germain defeated AC Milan 3-0 in the third leg of their UEFA Champions League Group F match of the 2023-24 season at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France on Monday (June 26). The three points came at a crucial time for the Red Devils, who needed to bounce back from their loss to Newcastle United in the second leg of the group stage to move above Dortmund and into first place. Their opponents, AC Milan, didn’t win until game three and dropped to the bottom of the group.

Paris Saint-Germain took the lead through Kylian Mbappe in the first half and a second-half goal. Lee took the field for Dembele, the starting winger who played 71 minutes. Enrique introduced Lee in place of Dembele to test a new attacking combination.

Unlike the straightforward Dembele, Lee linked up with full-back Hakimi on the right flank. With his back to goal, Lee possessed the ball excellently and played one-two passes with his teammates to rattle AC Milan. With a minute left in regulation time, he scored the winner with an exquisite shot after picking up the ball in the box. It was his first Champions League goal since joining Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

It was Lee’s first goal in five games in a Paris Saint-Germain shirt. A hamstring injury in preseason and a recurrence of the injury at the start of the season made for a difficult time, but he made a full recovery and gained valuable game time at the Hangzhou Asian Games and the national team trials in October. His goal in the Champions League proved that he was close to full fitness.

Lee’s goal made him the fourth South Korean to score in the Champions League, joining Park Ji-sung, Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan. Park Ji-sung scored his first Champions League goal for PSV Eindhoven against AC Milan in 2005, while Son Heung-min rattled the net against Benfica for Leverkusen in 2014. Hwang Hee-chan opened the scoring for Salzburg against FC Schalke in 2019.

Lee Kang-in’s record is also impressive. In 19 minutes against AC Milan, he had 21 touches, a 93% pass completion rate (14 of 15), a long pass, a tackle, and three ball wins. This proves that he can play both winger and midfield and bring energy to the team. 짱구카지노

Football statistician Footmob also gave Lee a 7.5 rating for his 19 minutes of action, a higher rating than Dembele, who started in the same position. The French outlet Footmercato said, “He’s a threat to Dembele,” and added, “Nineteen minutes was enough for him. He was much cleaner and more decisive in attack than Dembele. He led the Paris Saint-Germain attack with efficiency. Even if Enrique trusts Dembele, he knows how to capitalize on the opportunities he is given.”