Lee Kang-in of Atletico Madrid celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Malaga in their 2026-2027 La Liga Round 1 home match at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday (Korean Standard Time). [EPA]
Lee Kang-in of Atletico Madrid celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Malaga in their 2026-2027 La Liga Round 1 home match at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday (Korean Standard Time). [EPA]

Lee Kang-in marked his Atletico Madrid debut with a goal in the La Liga season opener.

Lee scored the decisive opening goal in the 70th minute of Atletico's 2026-2027 La Liga Round 1 home match against Malaga at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid on Thursday (Korean Standard Time).

Brought on as a substitute for Martin in the 57th minute, Lee ranged widely between the forward line and midfield. He tested the goalkeeper with a bold left-footed shot from around 30 meters out in the 59th minute, then curled another left-footed effort from the edge of the penalty arc in the 65th minute.

His persistence paid off in the 70th minute. Receiving a pass from Hancko on the right, Lee cut quickly through the center past three defenders and drove a left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty arc into the left corner of the net — just 13 minutes after coming on.

The goal was Lee's debut strike for Atletico, which he joined this month after three seasons with Paris Saint-Germain in France. It was also his first La Liga goal in three years and three months, since a match against Bilbao in May 2023 while he was at Mallorca. Lee was named the match's most valuable player.

Atletico completed a 2-0 victory when Alex Baena added a free-kick goal in the 85th minute.

Lee had joined Atletico's preseason training late due to administrative procedures related to his military service exemption. He was among several high-profile new signings on the substitutes' bench, alongside Marcos Llorente, Baena, Giuliano Simeone, Julian Alvarez and Cristian Romero.


yjc@heraldcorp.com