Youngster leaves lineup decision to coach, keeps focus on own performance
South Korea's Lee Kang-In and Ghana's Kamaldeen Sulemana compete for the ball during the World Cup group H soccer match between South Korea and Ghana, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Nov. 28. Ghana beat South Korea 3-2. Korea Times phot
Coming off the bench for the second straight match at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, midfielder Lee Kang-in was South Korea's most dangerous offensive player in the second half of a 3-2 loss to Ghana on Monday.
This begs the question: What if Lee had started the match and played the full 90 minutes?
The 21-year-old midfielder, however, wasn't dwelling on that question afterward.
"The lineup decision is up to the head coach," Lee said, referring to Paulo Bento. "I trust his decision 100 percent, and I will try to help the team the best I can whenever I have the opportunity."
Lee came on in the 57th minute against Ghana at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, west of Doha, with South Korea trailing 2-0. Lee made an immediate impact, picking Tariq Lamptey's pocket on the left wing and threading a cross toward the box for Cho Gue-sung for the first of Cho's two header goals.
Cho later scored another goal before Ghana reclaimed their lead in the 68th minute. Lee then took a dangerous-looking free kick in the 75th minute that dropped into the bottom right corner, forcing goalkeeper Lawrence Ait-Zigi to make a tough diving save.
Just as he had done against Uruguay off the bench, Lee gave South Korea a new dimension on offense, with his speed and creativity. The right-footed Son Heung-min takes the majority of South Korea's free kicks and corners, and Lee, left-footed, gave the team a new option on set pieces.
That Lee has come this far, becoming an integral piece of the team battling for a knockout berth, is quite remarkable, considering his standing on the national team hierarchy just two months ago.
Lee Kang-in, center, of South Korea takes a free kick during the FIFA World Cup 2022 group H soccer match between South Korea and Ghana at Education City Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Nov. 28. EPA-Yonhap
In September, Bento called up Lee for the first time since March 2021. But Bento did not play Lee at all in either of the team's two friendly matches then, prompting the usually polite South Korean fans to boo the coach. There seemed to be a discord between what fans saw in the exciting youngster and what the coach saw in the offensively gifted player panned for his defensive shortcomings.
Somehow, Bento still selected Lee for the 26-man World Cup squad, but it wasn't clear whether the coach would even play Lee.
And Bento surprised many by bringing Lee off the bench against Uruguay last week. The coach even said after the match that he hoped fans would stop criticizing him for not deploying Lee.
None of this drama has seemed to faze Lee.
"Whenever I get into a match, coach Bento tells me to make aggressive plays and create chances around the goal," Lee said. "We were able to shift the momentum after I entered the match, but it's really disappointing that we didn't come away with the win."
Lee said he has never put his team ahead of his personal glory.
"The team is always more important to me, and if I have another chance to play, I will try to help the team win," Lee said. "Everyone from players to coaches will be pulling in the same direction."
If Lee does once again come on as a substitute Friday against Portugal in the final Group H match, it won't be Bento making that decision. He has been suspended for that game after getting a red card in the immediate aftermath of Monday's loss. He had a heated argument with referee Anthony Taylor over the official's decision to blow the whistle after South Korea had earned a corner.
"Obviously, this is not a good situation for us," Lee said. "But no matter where he is, we all know he's going to be with us every step of the way." (Yonhap)