Lee Kang-in (24, Paris Saint-Germain) played a full 90 minutes for the first time in a while. However, local evaluations in France rated him the lowest in the team.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won against Montpellier 4-1 in an away match of the 33rd round of the 2024-2025 season French Ligue 1 at Stade de la Mosson located in Montpellier, France, on the 11th (Korea time).

Having secured the league title early, PSG recorded 81 points (25 wins, 6 draws, 2 losses) with this victory. At the same time, they ended their losing streak, ringing the victory bell after four league matches. During this time, PSG had focused on the UEFA Champions League (UCL), which caused them to lose some strength in the league, and unfortunately missed out on an unbeaten championship.

Under the management of Luis Enrique, PSG deployed a 3-4-3 formation. Bradley Barcola, Gonzalo Hamus, and Ibrahim Mbaye formed the defense, with Lee Kang-in, Desiré Doué, Warren Zaïre-Emery, and Senny Mayulu in the midfield, and Luka Hernandez, Lucas Verald, and Axel Tuanzebe as the backline, while Arnau Tenas started as the goalkeeper. This lineup saw significant rotation once again.

Nevertheless, PSG was strong. In the 24th minute of the first half, Hamus took a shot from distance with his right foot, but it went straight to the goalkeeper. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Barcola received a long pass that started from the goalkeeper and penetrated the box. However, his shot hit the crossbar.

Ultimately, PSG scored the opening goal. In the 44th minute of the first half, Mayulu dribbled past the defense and exchanged a one-two pass with Zaïre-Emery. He connected with the ball that bounced off Zaïre-Emery's heel with a powerful shot that pierced the corner of the goal.

The second half continued to flow overwhelmingly in favor of PSG. With consecutive goals from Hamus in the 49th and 59th minutes, they extended their lead to 3-0. He finished a non-stop left-footed shot after receiving a cutback pass from Mbaye, and shortly after, he calmly converted a penalty earned by Doué.

PSG conceded a consolation goal to Tanguy Koulibaly in the 64th minute, but it did not pose any issues for their victory. In fact, in the 65th minute, Hamus completed his hat trick, leading to a dominant 4-1 victory. Overcoming the defense, he took another right-footed shot to find the net once more.

Lee Kang-in, who played as both a left wing-back and left midfielder, also contributed to the team's victory by running across the pitch until the end. Having taken on another unfamiliar role after being a 'false 9' and defensive midfielder previously, he recorded one shot, a pass success rate of 93% (52/56), one chance created, two successful long passes, and three fouls. This was the first time Lee Kang-in played a full 90 minutes in a league match since January against Saint-Étienne, about four months ago.

Despite having played the full match for once, Lee Kang-in could not avoid criticism. The soccer statistics media 'Footmob' rated him 6.6 points, the lowest alongside Barcola in PSG. For Lee Kang-in, it was disappointing that despite providing a good pass to Mbaye in the 71st minute, it did not lead to a goal as Mbaye fell down.

Local media in France felt the same way. The PSG fan community 'Culture PSG' remarked, "You could feel the definition of a player who does not want to be there on the field" and gave Lee Kang-in the lowest rating of 4 points in the team.

The media pointed out, "Lee Kang-in took on a somewhat ambiguous role as the left fullback in the 3-4-3 formation. He gave off a terrible impression that he did not want to play in this match. He failed to make inspiring attempts, and his movements were technically slow and overly complicated. As a result, Lee Kang-in had little impact. He played the entire match as there was no one on the bench to replace him."

'90min France' rated Lee Kang-in 5 points. The media stated, "I thought Lee Kang-in would give up his spot early in the game due to a collision with an opponent in the 23rd minute, just like in the Strasbourg match. In the end, he kept his position but did not show any convincing performance."

Moreover, 90min added, "Lee Kang-in still touched the ball a lot, but besides sideways or backward passes, he had no notable achievements. He tried to play aggressively by receiving the ball and passing, but such scenes were rare. Lee Kang-in's set pieces were also not impressive."

For Lee Kang-in, who has recently been engulfed in transfer rumors, it was a disappointing day. He has fallen behind in the competition for a starting position in the second half of the season and is dissatisfied with not being able to play in important matches. PSG, which had tried to keep Lee Kang-in last winter, is now reportedly open to letting him go if a suitable offer comes in.

The leading potential destination appears to be the Premier League. Teams like Arsenal, which inquired about acquiring Lee Kang-in last winter, as well as Manchester United and Newcastle United, are being linked with him. The agent visited England recently and met with several clubs, and Lee Kang-in further fueled speculation by deleting PSG from his social media profile.

Lee Kang-in needs to make a noticeable impact for the remainder of the season. As PSG aims for a 'treble,' there is a great chance he will be given opportunities in the league matches. PSG will face Lens in the Coupe de France final on the 25th and will play against Inter Milan in the UCL final on the 1st of next month.

[Photo] PSG, 365 Scores social media.

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