Lee Kang-In, who scored the winning goal, showed his love for the national team.
South Korea defeated China 1-0 in the sixth match of Group C of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia Second Qualifying Round at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday. Lee Kang-in scored the game-winning goal in the 16th minute of the second half. South Korea finished the second round of qualifying with five wins, one draw, and first place in the group.
Unlike their last match against Singapore, which ended 7-0, the goals didn't come early. South Korea finished the first half scoreless and made a change in the 15th minute of the second half, bringing on striker Lee Min-gyu for attacking midfielder Lee Jae-sung. Lee Kang-in, who had been playing on the right wing, moved to the attacking midfield, and from this point on, Lee felt more comfortable in the attacking third.
He even scored a goal. In the 16th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in, who was slightly behind the attacking line, found Son Heung-min on the left side of the penalty box and delivered a long pass. Son Heung-min sent a low cross to Munjeon, who didn't have a direct shot on goal, but Hwang In-beom rushed into Munjeon along with Lee Min-gyu, leaving four Chinese players to one side and creating an open space. The ball was played to the unmarked side, and Lee Kang-in, who had broken into the box, picked it up. Lee's shot rattled the net. Lee was named Man of the Match.
Despite scoring his 10th goal of the A-Match, Lee said he was more pleased with the team's victory than his own goal. “I'm very happy to have two wins in two games, and I'll do my best to play better soccer and 안전놀이터 get good results in the future,” he told reporters in the mix zone after the game. “I was so busy when I scored, I don't remember much. My brothers were happy for me, my other teammates were happy for me, so it was very nice, but like I said, I'm very happy that we were able to win."
Lee also took questions from China's CCTV. When asked to assess China's performance on the day, he said: “I think they chose the best football they could play. I respect their choice. It's a difficult question to evaluate the opponent,” he said, avoiding a specific answer.
However, when asked again about China's defense, Lee said, “I expected them to play defensively, but I didn't expect it to be this good. “In the last game against China, it was 3-0, and now it's 1-0, so I think they did a good job defensively,” he said, adding that the Chinese showed a more cohesive defensive organization than last time.
Lee played both right wing and attacking midfield in this game. For his club Paris Saint-Germain, he shows his versatility every game, playing on both wings, as well as in central midfield and as a false nine.
When asked where he thinks his optimal position is, Lee said: “It's different every game, every moment. I will try my best to play wherever the coach wants me to play. Just like my first interview when I first came to the national team, I will do my best to help the team in every moment and get good results. I'll try to help the team in every moment, just like my first interview when I first came to the national team, and I'll try to do my best to help the team and get good results."
