Lee Kang-in (24, Paris Saint-Germain) has embraced another trophy. He achieved his fifth victory with PSG by reaching the top of Ligue 1.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Angers 1-0 in a home match for Round 28 of Ligue 1 for the 2024-2025 season at the Parc des Princes in Paris on the 6th (Korea time). With this victory, PSG recorded 74 points (22 wins, 6 draws) and widened the gap to second-place AS Monaco to 22 points.
Regardless of the results of the remaining six matches, PSG has confirmed its early victory in Ligue 1. This marks their fourth consecutive league title and the 13th in total.
On this day, PSG set up in a 4-3-3 formation. The attacking line included Désiré Doué, Gonçalo Ramos, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, while the midfield was composed of Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, and Warren Zaïre-Emery. The defense consisted of Luka Hernández, William Pacho, Marquinhos, and Achraf Hakimi, with Gianluigi Donnarumma as the goalkeeper.
Lee Kang-in was absent from the lineup. He focused on recovery after injuring his ankle during an A-match against Oman last month. Although he returned to team training afterward, he was given rest instead of forced participation since the league victory was already likely.
Additionally, Luis Enrique, the PSG manager, gave some key players rest considering the Champions League schedule. Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, and João Neves were also excluded from the starting lineup. PSG will face Aston Villa in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals this week.
The match was dominated by PSG. However, they received criticism for only managing to score one goal. In the 30th minute of the first half, a header from Ramos missed the goalpost, and a subsequent long-range shot from Vitinha was just tipped by the opposing goalkeeper.
The outcome was decided in the 10th minute of the second half. A ball that the Angers defense cleared found Khvicha, who accurately crossed it to Doué, rushing in, and he capped it off with a right-footed shot for the winning goal. PSG missed an additional goal when Hakimi's shot went wide in the 34th minute of the second half, but they maintained their lead to secure the 3 points.
With this victory, Lee Kang-in has lifted five trophies in total with PSG. Since joining the team in the 2023-2024 season, he has won Ligue 1, the French Super Cup (Trophée des Champions), and the Coupe de France, adding the Ligue 1 and French Super Cup trophies this season.
The winning DNA was evident even before PSG. Lee Kang-in experienced winning the Copa del Rey during the 2018-2019 season while at Valencia. Since transferring to PSG, he has proved his worth by securing a trophy every season. Notably, in last season's Super Cup final, he scored the opening goal and was also named the Man of the Match, making him the first Asian player to achieve this honor in a final.
He also has experience lifting trophies on the national team. Lee Kang-in contributed to the South Korea U-23 national team's gold medal win under coach Hwang Sun-hong at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, receiving military service benefits.
Now PSG is setting its sights higher. If they do not lose in the remaining league matches, they will achieve the remarkable feat of an unbeaten championship.
With the French Cup final and the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals still remaining, PSG has the possibility of achieving a quadruple by claiming the league, French Cup, Champions League, and Super Cup.
[Photo] Paris Saint-Germain, Lee Kang-in, Integral Football social media.
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