Lee Kang-in’s First Attack P After ‘Table Tennis Gate’… Hwang Seon-hong’s Deepening Worries
National soccer team interim coach Hwang Sun-hong’s concerns are deepening over whether to select Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), who was at the center of ‘Table Tennis Gate’.
Lee Kang-in helped Kylian Mbappe score in the 11th minute of the second half in the 2023-2024 UEFA Round of 16 away game against Real Sociedad held at Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastian, Spain on the 6th (Korean time).
With this goal, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won 2-1.
They advanced to the UCL quarterfinals with a 4-1 lead in the first and second games. 바카라사이트
This is an attack point that has great meaning for Lee Kang-in personally.
Lee Kang-in was heavily criticized after it was revealed that he physically collided with ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min (Tottenham) at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, which ended earlier this year.
In an instant, he went from being the ‘next-generation ace’ of Korean soccer to being a ‘problem child.’
It is known that it has suffered a significant economic blow, such as advertising being cut off.
The help provided to Mbappe on this day was Lee Kang-in’s first attack point since the incident called ‘Table Tennis Gate’.
Lee Kang-in showed all his skills even in situations where he was likely to be psychologically shaken.
Although he played only 45 minutes in the second half, he received generous ratings.
WhoScored.com gave him a rating of 7.0, the fourth highest among PSG field players.
Director Hwang fell into deeper trouble.
Coach Hwang of the U-23 national team, which is attempting to qualify for the 2026 Paris Olympics, will temporarily serve as interim coach of the A national team and lead the two-game series of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round against Thailand in March.
The national team convenes on the 18th.
The list will be announced on the 11th, five days later.
Until then, a decision must be made whether to elect Lee Kang-in or not.
Public opinion toward Lee Kang-in is still cold.
It is clearly not right to ‘distance’ the ‘claim’ by saying that he will take personal action.
It was also a very unwise move since Son Heung-min, who is ranked among the best Korean soccer players of all time, has been evaluated as having impeccable personality.
The argument that Lee Kang-in should not be selected this time is gaining strength, even as a ‘punishment’ for him.
However, it is also true that there does not seem to be a major problem in selecting Lee Kang-in, as the incident occurred within the team and Lee Kang-in has already visited Son Heung-min and asked for forgiveness, showing that the conflict has been at least superficially resolved.
It is also not unconvincing to say that it should be taken into account that Lee Kang-in, who grew up in Spain since childhood, is not familiar with the Korean culture that values hierarchy.
The choice is up to Director Hwang.
Even if Lee Kang-in is selected or excluded, there will inevitably be backlash.
Soccer fans are focusing their attention on what choice Coach Hwang, who led Korea to a gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games last year and knows ‘how to use Lee Kang-in’ better than anyone else, will make.