Former world-class striker Jürgen Klinsmann, 59, has some words of advice for Lee Kang-in.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, lost 0-1 to Peru in an A-match trial at the Busan Asiad Stadium at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
It was the first loss for Klinsmann, who failed to record a win in the two matches played in March with a 1-1 draw.
In the 11th minute, South Korea fell victim to a Peruvian attack that exploited the defense with short passes. Eventually, Peru found Brian Reyna through an unoccupied left flank transition, and Reyna made no mistake in scoring.
South Korea, led by Lee Kang-in, pushed for an equalizer right up until the end of the game, but were unable to find it and lost 0-1.
Despite the loss, the game was a feast for the eyes. Lee Kang-in was one of the best performers.
From the 7th minute, he threatened the opponent with his daring dribbling in a narrow area and drew a foul, and in the 26th minute, he pinpointed Lee Jae-sung, who was penetrating into the box from the left flank, and delivered a perfect mid- to long-range pass.
Soon after, in the 28th minute, he played a perfect through ball to a penetrating Oh Hyun-gyu. Although Oh’s shot was inaccurate, it was a threatening one.
Lee Kang-in also knocked on the door of the goal himself. In the 34th minute, Hwang Hee-chan won the ball in the center of the box, held his ground and crossed to Lee Kang-in on the right flank, who unleashed an exquisite trajectory left-footed shot. However, goalkeeper Pedro Gueyeze made the save.
In the 35th minute, Lee won the ball on the left flank and immediately sent a precise and powerful cross toward Won Doo-jae, who was waiting in the box, but it went just past Won’s head.
Lee Kang-in, who continued to shine in the second half, connected with a sharp header off a sharp cross from Hwang Hee-chan in the 28th minute. It was one of the best scoring chances of the match, although it was saved by goalkeeper Ga Yesa.
How Klinsmann saw Lee’s performance.
“Lee Kang-in is already a famous player in South America,” Klinsmann said in the official post-match press conference.토토사이트
“South American players watch a lot of Spanish La Liga,” he said. They actively played cooperative defense with Lee Kang-in,” and said that Lee Kang-in struggled with the opponent’s strong pressure.
However, Lee was able to break through the defense with his brilliant ball control. “But I always enjoy and look forward to Lee Kang-in’s matches,” Klinsmann said.
“He needs to get better,” he said. It’s time for him to think about when to dribble, when to return with one touch and when to receive the ball. I’m always looking forward to it.”
Klinsmann added: “Lee Kang-in is definitely a good player. But he can’t win games by himself,” Klinsmann added.