Lee Kangin Reunites With Mbappe as Opponent... Claims Victory in First Madrid Derby

Atletico Clinch Third Straight Win with 2-1 Victory over Real Madrid

Lee Kangin smiled in his first encounter as an opponent against Kylian Mbappé, with whom he shared the same team during his time at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Atletico Madrid, with Lee Kangin active on the field for 88 minutes, defeated Real Madrid 2-1 during the 7th round of the 2026-2027 La Liga season at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on September 20, 2026 (Korean time). Atletico continued their three-game winning streak in the league, handing Real Madrid their second loss of the season.

This match also drew attention for the head-to-head showdown between Lee Kangin and Mbappé, who played together at PSG during the 2023-2024 season.

Lee Kang-in is contesting the ball with Jude Bellingham during the 7th round match of the 2026-2027 La Liga season against Real Madrid, held on the 20th (Korean time) at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News.

Lee Kangin became teammates with Mbappé when he transferred from Mallorca to PSG in the summer of 2023. The two players spent a season together, and after leading PSG to domestic trebles by securing the Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions in the 2023-2024 season, Mbappé transferred to Real Madrid.

Lee Kangin then spent two more seasons at PSG before moving to Atletico ahead of the current season, marking his return to La Liga after three years. The former PSG teammates faced each other as rivals for the first time in over two years, and Lee Kangin came out on top in the initial encounter.

Lee Kangin started as a striker alongside Jonathan David in a 4-4-2 formation.

In the 14th minute of the first half, he delivered a sharp cross from the right, but it did not lead to a goal. In the 33rd minute, he attempted a left-footed shot from outside the right side of the penalty box, but was denied by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

The two teams ended the first half tied at 0-0.

Atletico broke the deadlock just four minutes into the second half. Giuliano Simeone drew a foul inside the penalty box. After a VAR review, the referee showed a red card to Dean Howison for holding Simeone, giving Atletico a numerical advantage. Alejandro Grimaldo scored the resulting penalty to put Atletico ahead.

In the 55th minute, Lee Kangin again threatened Real's goal. Carrying the ball from the left outside the penalty area toward the center, he unleashed a powerful left-footed shot, but it was aimed straight at Courtois.

Atletico added another goal in the 59th minute. Lee Kangin, after outmaneuvering a defender on the right and maintaining possession, delivered an accurate pass to Simeone making an overlapping run down the flank. Simeone sent a fast low cross into the box, and David redirected it with his left foot into the net.

Lee Kangin is tussling with Kylian Mbappé during the 7th round match of the 2026-2027 Spanish La Liga season against Real Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on the 20th (Korea time). Photo by AP Yonhap News

In the 88th minute, Lee Kangin left the field to applause from home fans, being substituted by Morten Hjulmand.

Immediately after Lee Kangin was substituted, Real Madrid scored a goal to close the gap. In the 89th minute, Antonio Rudiger found the net with a header off a free kick. However, being a man down, Real Madrid were unable to score again, and the match ended with Atletico's one-goal victory.

Atletico's record is now 5 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, while Real Madrid has 5 wins and 2 losses.

Lee Kangin received a rating of 6.8 from WhoScored.com, ranking fifth among Atletico's starters. Simeone, who won the penalty and assisted David's additional goal, earned the highest rating for the team with 7.61.

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