Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) has mixed reviews.
Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Nice 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2023-2024 Coupe de France (French Cup) at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France, on Thursday (June 14). PSG punched their ticket to the quarterfinals. Their quarterfinal opponent will be Stade Rennes. The two teams will meet on April 4 next month. The last time PSG won this competition was in the 2020-2021 season. They defeated AS Monaco 2-0 in the final to claim the title.
The victory took PSG’s unbeaten record to 23 matches in all competitions, including cups and Ligue 1, with 16 wins and seven draws. Their last defeat was a 2-1 loss to AC Milan (Italy) in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) on November 8 last year.
More importantly, the win keeps PSG in the hunt for the double. PSG won the Super Cup in January. In 25 league games this season, PSG has 16 wins, 8 draws, and 1 loss (56 points) to lead the table. The gap between them and second-place Brestois (46 points) is 10 points. PSG also reached the quarterfinals of the UCL.
PSG utilized a 4-3-3 on the day. Ousmane Dembele, Gonzalo Hamus, and Kylian Mbappe led the attack. Vitinha, Fabian Luis, and Lee Kang-In formed the back four. Nuno Mendes, Lucas Veraldo, Luca Hernandez, and Warren Zaire Emery were in the back four. Gianluigi Donnarumma was in goal.
PSG dominated the match. Mbappe opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Lee Kang-In’s right-footed cross was cleared by the opposing defense, but the ball fell in front of Mbappe. Mbappe played a two-on-one with Lewis and easily found the back of the net. The assist came from Lewis. In the 33rd minute, Lewis found the back of the net. Nice pulled a goal back in the 37th minute. However, PSG sealed the victory in the 15th minute of the second half, thanks to a Beraldo strike.
Lee Kang-In, who started the game, had a light day. He completed 87% of his passes, created one chance, won five contests, and made three breakthroughs. In particular, he played a key role in setting up Beraldo’s goal, but he also stunned the opposition with a direct shot from a free kick in the 19th minute. From behind the penalty spot, he unleashed a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner of the near post that was narrowly saved by a diving Vulca, but hit the post and trickled into the back of the net.
After the game, soccer stats site Footmob gave Lee a 7.3 rating. French publication Foot Mercato gave him a rating of 6, saying: “Lee touched the ball often in the center of the pitch. He did very well in his role as manager of this match. Above all, he complemented Dembele and Emery well. Mbappe scored the opening goal from one of his crosses. In the second half, we lost a bit of intensity, but our ability to keep the ball was still excellent. However, the French version of the 90th minute only gave Lee five points. They said: “He rarely made the right choice in the last 30 meters. He tried to add pace and accuracy to his game, but shooting from the right without a 메이저토토사이트 full-back was difficult and he was often seen rushing forward. He almost scored with a great free kick.
Lee Kang-in lost a lot at the Qatar Asian Cup, which concluded last month, when he reportedly got into a physical altercation with his “captain” Son Heung-min (Tottenham). Lee was considered the present and future of South Korean soccer. But in one fell swoop, he fell to the bottom of the pile. Lee flew to England and reconciled with Son Heung-min, but his on-field form has been less than stellar. In his three league games since the Asian Cup, he has played 61 minutes (Nantes), 45 minutes (Rennes), and four minutes (Monaco). It was a 180-degree turnaround from the 1003 minutes he played in the first half of the season in 15 games.
He overcame the crisis with skill. On June 6, Lee assisted on the winning goal in the UCL round of 16 second leg against Real Sociedad (Spain). He set up Mbappe’s goal in the 11th minute of the second half to help his team win 2-1. It was Lee’s first offensive point for the club since the Qatar Asian Cup. Since then, he has settled down. Lee played full-time in the league home game against Reims on Oct. 10. It was his second consecutive full-time appearance and he is finding his feet.