‘Golden Boy’ Lee Kang-in won his first league championship in his career.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) confirmed an early victory. PSG was defeated by second-place AS Monaco on the 29th (Korean time), and the championship was confirmed regardless of the remaining games. AS Monaco lost 2 to 3 in the 31st round match of the 2023-2024 French Ligue 1 against Lyon held at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France on the 29th. With 70 points (20 wins, 10 draws, 1 loss), PSG widened the gap with 2nd place Monaco (17 wins, 7 draws, 7 losses, 58 points) to 12 points, confirming their victory in Ligue 1 regardless of the remaining season.
It was Lee Kang-in who confirmed PSG’s early win. PSG added 1 point the previous day thanks to Lee Kang-in’s golden assist, completing the final puzzle for the championship. PSG, which faced Le Havre in the relegation zone, struggled from the beginning. Le Havre scored the first goal. Christopher Ofery, who received a pass from Emmanuel Xavi in the 19th minute of the first half, hit PSG’s net. PSG balanced the score 10 minutes later. Bradley Barcola scored the equalizer after receiving a pass from Warren Jair Emery.
But Le Havre was ahead again. In the 38th minute, Andre Ayew scored to take the lead again. The first half ended with Le Havre leading 2-1.
Embarrassed, PSG brought in Barcola, Asensio, and Dembele at the start of the second half, and brought in Ceni Mayolo, Lee Kang-in, and Kylian Mbappe. However, instead they allowed a key goal. In the 15th minute of the second half, Abdoulaye Toure scored a penalty kick. PSG desperately pursued. In the 33rd minute, Ashraf Hakimi scored a chasing goal. All 90 minutes of regular time had passed, and it was Lee Kang-in’s left foot that saved the game, which seemed to end in PSG’s defeat. Gonzalo Hamus, who came on as a substitute with a left-footed cross in added time in the second half, scored the equalizer with a sensational header. In the end, the game ended in a 3-3 draw.
PSG, which could have secured the championship on its own, waited for the results of the Monaco-Lyon match. If Monaco defeats Lyon, the competition for the title will continue. However, Monaco suffered a bitter defeat in the away game at Lyon. Monaco took the lead with Wissam Ben Yedder’s first goal in the first minute. However, they allowed consecutive goals to Alexandre Lacazette in the 22nd minute and Mohamed Benrahma in the 26th minute. Monaco balanced the score with Ben Yedder’s equalizer in the 15th minute of the second half, but lost 2-3 when Melik Fofana scored the winning goal in the 39th minute of the second half.
With Monaco’s defeat, PSG succeeded in winning its 12th league title. This is the third consecutive league loss following the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons. With this win, PSG won the 50th trophy in the club’s history. It has further strengthened its position as the best player in League 1, both in name and reality.
Lee Kang-in also recorded his first league championship in his career. Lee Kang-in left Mallorca ahead of this season and wore a PSG uniform. Lee Kang-in, who performed best in Mallorca last season with 6 goals and 7 assists, moved to PSG, leaving behind love calls from Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, and Tottenham. He lifted his first trophy since joining PSG by winning the Tropé des Champeons last January. Lee Kang-in performed well in the finals and even won MVP. He then lifted the league championship trophy.
This is the fourth time a Korean player has won the title in the top five European leagues (England, Germany, Spain, Italy, France), following Park Ji-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Technical Director), Jeong Woo-young (Stuttgart), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). Park Ji-sung won a total of four titles at Manchester United, starting with his first title in the 2006-2007 season, and Jung Woo-young, then of Bayern Munich, reached the top of the league in the 2018-2019 season. ‘Monster’ Kim Min-jae performed so well that he received the Serie A Best Defense Award in the 2022-2023 season, giving Naples its first Serie A championship in 33 years. .
Lee Kang-in played a total of 30 games this season, including 19 in the league, 8 in the European Champions League (UCL), 2 in the Coupe de France (cup competition), and 1 in the Tropez des Champions. He posted 4 goals -3 assists. Lee Kang-in has established himself as a clear starting player for the prestigious PSG, moving between right flank, center, and left flank without a set position. Lee Kang-in enjoyed the joy of winning the league for the first time in his career by sharing the victory poster produced by PSG on his social media.
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