"Even a defensive midfielder" Lee Kang-in injured in 'Golden Talent' OUT Red Light, a new face in South Korea, 'Chance to turn the crisis around'
"Even a defensive midfielder" Lee Kang-in injured in 'Golden Talent' OUT Red Light, a new face in South Korea, 'Chance to turn the crisis around'
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The absence of "talented genius" Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) is painful.
Korea's national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, will play its eighth Group B match against Jordan at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on Saturday for the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. Korea has had four wins and three draws (15 points) in its seven previous matches. It is ranking first. If it wins the match against Jordan, it can complete its journey to North Korea, China and the U.S. early on.
There is a major factor. It is injury. The "Hong Myung-bo" team lost its "defensive leader" Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) ahead of the upcoming series. Kim was originally included in the A-match list in March, but dropped out due to his injury. As many as three players were injured in the match against Oman on Tuesday. The Korea Football Association officially announced on Monday that Jung Seung-hyun (Al Wasl) injured his left calf while Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) and Lee Kang-in injured their left hamstring and left ankle during the match.
Baek Seung-ho, who started the match against Oman, collapsed in the 35th minute of the first half. He was eventually replaced by Lee Kang-in in the 38th minute of the first half. Lee gave assist to Hwang Hee-chan's goal just three minutes after he stepped on the ground. However, Lee collapsed in the 35th minute of the second half, complaining of pain. Lee, who injured his left ankle, was carried off the ground by medical staff. He exited the stadium on crutches.
Hong made a decision. "After the match against Oman on Sunday, I thought Lee Kang-in would be very serious. However, the results of the test were not as severe as I thought," he said ahead of the training session on Tuesday. "I called him up and talked to him face-to-face before the training session. I have thoroughly checked his attitude, attitude and mindset that he is currently playing for the national team. However, from our perspective, he is important to our team but also very important to our team, so we have decided not to call him up." We have decided not to appoint a substitute.
Lee Kang-in does not need an explanation. He is the core of Hong Myung-bo. He is playing as an ace under Hong, who was launched in September last year. He started in all of the first to sixth games of the third Asian qualifying round. He mainly deployed as a right-handed striker and served as an "attack captain." He created chances to attack by shaking the opponent team's defense. He led the offense by depressing, guarding the ball, and above all, sharp passes.
His talent was not the end here. Lee Kang-in showed off his talent as a defensive midfielder in the match against Oman. Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) failed to play due to a calf injury in the match. Baek Seung-ho filled the spot, but when Baek Seung-ho also left, Lee Kang-in was put in. Lee Kang-in showed several sharp passes by acting as an airlift lubricant. He even played the role of Mejala (half winger) depending on the situation on the day.
Lee's main position is an attacking midfielder. However, he has grown from a professional player to a multiplayer. When he was playing for the Real Mallorca in Spain, he was a downbeat striker. After moving to Paris Saint-Germain, he was also a right-handed striker and a zero-top striker. This is not the end. He played defensive midfielder in a friendly match with Sturm Graz (Austria) ahead of this season.
Hong understands Lee Kang-in's talent better than anyone else. For this reason, he assigned him to the right position depending on the situation and let him demonstrate his talent. However, Lee Kang-in was out due to injury. "I was also considering new players to play in the match against Oman. He seems to have more difficulties in adapting himself to the time difference than other players who have experienced it," Hong said. "If he shows good performance, I am ready to deploy him anytime. If he had secured two wins in the (March A-match) and quickly decided to advance to the finals, it would have helped everyone grow. We should not give points to the teams below us. Just because we are chased, we are not in a hurry. The most important thing is to finish the match against Jordan well." 토토사이트