South Korea secured a 3-1 victory over Bahrain in their Asian Cup Group E opener on Monday, with Paris St Germain’s Lee Kang-in stepping up with two crucial goals in the second half at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, as reported by Reuters.
After goals from Hwang In-Beom and Bahrain’s Abdullah Al-Hashsash, the game was tied at 1-1 until Lee’s impressive performance turned the tables in South Korea’s favor, prompting outbursts of jubilation from the team’s fans.
The first half of the match was characterized by numerous fouls, resulting in three South Korean players receiving yellow cards, including centre back Kim Min-Jae.
As a result of the frequent fouls, the South Korean fans began booing the referee whenever he chose not to penalize a Bahrain player, ultimately leading to Ali Madan receiving a yellow card for an aggressive tackle.
Madan nearly scored for Bahrain after being put through on goal, but his shot narrowly missed the target, allowing South Korea to take the lead shortly thereafter with a goal from Hwang.
Bahrain fought back in the second half and managed to equalize with a goal from Al-Hashsash, but Lee quickly put South Korea back in the lead with a remarkable long-range shot.
Lee continued to impress by scoring his second goal of the match, bringing his total to two goals and placing him at the top of the tournament’s scoring charts alongside Qatar’s Akram Afif and Japan’s Takumi Minamino.
South Korean captain Son Heung-min had a late opportunity to score, but his shot went wide, and he was also booked for simulation when attempting to win a penalty.
(This story has been refiled to add the word ‘win’ in the headline)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Al Rayyan, Qatar; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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