Kangin Lee Scores Decisive Goal Just 13 Minutes After Substitution to Lead 2-0 Win in La Liga Opener

Three Shots in Just Over 30 Minutes,
Earns Man of the Match Honors

The turning point in the match came in the 12th minute of the second half when Kangin Lee was substituted in. Just two minutes after joining the game, Kangin Lee showed an aggressive approach, attempting a powerful left-footed shot. Ultimately, with his third shot in the 25th minute of the second half, he scored Atletico Madrid's opening goal of the 2026-2027 season.

On August 20 (Korean time) at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, Kangin Lee led his team to a 2-0 victory in the 2026-2027 La Liga season opener by scoring the first and decisive goal.

Before Kangin Lee's entry, Atletico had struggled against the promoted club Malaga, facing several decisive threats of conceding. Malaga, who were relegated from the first division in 2018 and even dropped down to the third division, returned to La Liga this season for the first time in nine years. Manager Diego Simeone decided to rest several core players and approached the opener with confidence, but the match developed into an unexpectedly tough contest.

Atletico Madrid's Lee Kangin celebrated after scoring the decisive opening goal in the 25th minute of the second half during the opening match of the 2026-2027 La Liga season held on the 20th (Korean time) at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

With the score still locked at 0-0 and the game becoming increasingly frustrating, Manager Simeone made a triple substitution in the 12th minute of the second half, bringing on Kangin Lee, Alex Baena, and Giuliano Simeone in an attempt to change the momentum. Kangin Lee registered his first shot immediately after coming on. After Malaga goalkeeper Alfonso Herrero mishandled a goal kick, the ball found its way to Lee. Collecting it on the right wing, Lee dribbled diagonally across to the left before unleashing a left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area. Although powerful, the ball sailed wide of the right post.

Five minutes later, Lee attempted his second shot from outside the right side of the penalty box, winning a corner kick. Another six minutes after that, he finally scored his La Liga debut goal with his third shot.

Receiving a pass from David Hancko on the right flank, Lee easily beat his defender with a body feint. He then dribbled centrally along the edge of the penalty box and curled a left-footed shot towards goal. Although Malaga goalkeeper Herrero made a diving effort, he was unable to stop it, and the ball nestled perfectly into the bottom left corner of the net.

Just four minutes after scoring his first goal, Lee created another decisive opportunity, threading a brilliant through pass to Ademola Lookman that left him one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Atletico sealed a satisfying opening day victory in the 40th minute of the second half when Alex Baena added a second goal. From a free-kick situation, Baena went directly for goal, sending the ball into the top left corner of the net.

Kangin Lee played for just over 30 minutes, firing three shots and scoring one goal, which earned him Man of the Match honors. He attempted 14 passes, completing 13 of them, and showed a strong work rate on defense as well, successfully making three tackles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.