‘King’.
Spain’s professional football club Mallorca put this phrase on the 24th (Korean time) to pay homage to the performance of ace Lee Kang-in (22), who led the team to victory by scoring multiple goals. Mallorca won 3-1 in the home game of the 30th round of the Spanish Primera Liga (La Liga) in the 2022-23 season against Getafe held at Visit Mallorca Estadi in Mallorca, Spain that day. Lee Kang-in, who started as a left midfielder, scored an equalizer and a key goal. He increased his offensive points this season to 5 goals and 4 assists.
This is the first time Lee Kang-in has scored multiple goals in a La Liga game. Debuting in La Liga at the age of 18 in the 2018-19 season, he also set a new record for Korean players on that day. According to soccer statistics company Opta, Lee Kang-in is the first Korean player to score two goals in a La Liga match. Previously, top strikers such as Lee Chun-soo (retired) and Park Ju-yeong (Ulsan Hyundai) played in La Liga, but they have never scored more than two goals in a single game. Lee Kang-in, who played full-time, was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MOM). WhoScored.com, a soccer statistics site, gave Lee Kang-in a score of 8.55, the highest rating among both teams. La Liga’s official social media nicknamed Lee Kang-in, who led the team’s victory, as the “designer of victory.”
Mallorca was dragged away by giving Getafe the opening goal in the 23rd minute of the first half of the day. It was Lee Kang-in who changed the flow. In the 11th minute of the second half, when the Getafe goalkeeper parried Mallorca’s Carles Alenya’s shot먹튀검증, Lee Kang-in rushed to the goal and calmly pushed it with his left foot. It was a goal scene that stood out with excellent positioning. Mallorca, who regained the lead with Lee Kang-in’s goal, reversed the game 8 minutes later with Antonio Rayo’s come-from-behind goal.
Lee Kang-in’s toes shone once again in the counterattack situation in the second half of extra time. In the 50th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in, who caught the ball in the Mallorca camp under the half line, ran about 60m like a storm to the opponent’s penalty box and shook the net with a strong left-footed shot. It was reminiscent of the goal Son Heung-min (Tottenham) scored after a 70m dribble against Burnley in the English Premier League (EPL) in December 2019. It was also similar to the scene where Son Heung-min dribbled alone and assisted Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) to score a goal in last year’s Qatar World Cup group stage match against Portugal. The difference is that Lee Kang-in went from dribbling to shooting.
With a last-minute wedge goal in the second half, Lee Kang-in dispelled concerns about speed and stamina, which were usually pointed out as weaknesses. The Getafe defenders, who ran with all their might, could not catch up with Lee Kang-in. According to WhoScored.com, Lee Kang-in attempted a total of 3 shots that day, and also connected 2 key passes leading to scoring opportunities. Opponent fouls were induced 3 times, and forward dribbles were also successful 2 times. Cross also led the attack in all directions, recording the most in the team 5 times. Spain’s Marca said, “Koreans who stayed up all night watching the game would have enjoyed the warm ‘Lee Kang-in Show’.” In a word, it was a ‘Lee Kang-in party’.” Mallorca coach Javier Aguirre praised him, saying, “(Lee Kang-in) showed his best skills.”
After scoring the second goal, Lee Kang-in performed an unusual ceremony by rubbing his philtrum with his right index finger. Lee Kang-in said, “It’s a ceremony that my sister (Lee Jung-eun) asked me to see. He is the one who always tells me to score goals,” he laughs. Mallorca (40 points), which had two consecutive victories, rose to 10th place in the league. With 8 games left until the end of the season, the gap between Valencia (30 points) and 18th place in the relegation zone widened significantly, raising the possibility of remaining in the first division.