After scoring his debut goal in the A match, he expressed his gratitude.
Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain) said on his social network service (SNS) on the 14th, “Yesterday (the 13th) was an unforgettable night for me. I am grateful to all my teammates and fans who were with me.” reported. He also added “Merci,” which means thank you in French.
Lee Kang-in scored his A match debut goal in a friendly match against Tunisia held at Sangam World Cup Stadium on the 13th. So far, he has been in charge of Korea’s overall attack with brilliant dribbling and sharp passes, but he has not scored yet.
The national team led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann struggled against Tunisia throughout the first half. Although they showed a lead in ball possession, the players did not work well together and did not score any goals. Lee Kang-in also made active movements, but was unable to find the net.
Entering the second half, Korea took the lead with the first goal. The main character was Lee Kang-in. Lee Kang-in attempted a free kick taken near the right side of the box and hit the net. It was a fantastic left-footed kick that thrilled the home fans, who gathered close to 60,000 people.
Lee Kang-in was not satisfied with this and kicked the ball away, scoring an additional goal three minutes later. After overcoming a contest in the box with the opposing defender, he once again cut into Tunisia’s net with a sharp left-footed shot. South Korea later won 4-0 with an own goal by the opposing defender and an additional goal by Hwang Ui-jo.
After the game, Lee Kang-in was selected as the official best player. Tunisia’s coach Jalel Kadri, the team’s leader, highly praised Lee Kang-in. Coach Kadri said, “Lee Kang-in, number 18 among Korean players, was impressive. He had outstanding individual skills and made the difference. We knew that Korea had threatening set-piece abilities such as free kicks, but we were unable to solve this problem.” He gave a thumbs up.
Lee Kang-in is now scheduled to move to the Suwon World Cup Stadium with the national team to play the second friendly match in October against Vietnam on the 17th.
After completing all schedules, he will join his team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Lee Kang-in has participated in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games since last month. After the match against Dortmund, he immediately joined Hangzhou. Hwang Seon-hong waited anxiously for the arrival of Lee Kang-in, who could become the team’s irreplaceable ace. Eventually, after constant coordination with PSG, Lee Kang-in joined. Lee Kang-in watched the match against Thailand on the 21st with his national team, and then played his first Asian Games match against Bahrain on the 24th. And although he did not show perfect chemistry with his teammates due to the timing of his joining, he proved that he was of a different class from his opponents by showing sharp passes and brilliant dribbling. In the end, he contributed to winning the Asian Games gold medal.
Lee Kang-in, who has achieved his top goal of being exempt from military service, plans to return to PSG after the 17th and continue his schedule in the French Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League (UCL).