Lee Kang-in, 25, did not manage to score in his first official start for Atlético Madrid. The team ended up with a draw following two goals conceded from penalty kicks.
On the 24th at midnight (Korean time), Atlético Madrid tied 2-2 against Villarreal in the second match of the 2026-2027 La Liga season at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain. Lee Kang-in, who started his first official game since joining the team, was replaced after playing for 66 minutes.
On this day, Atletico Madrid assembled its attacking line-up featuring Lee Kang-in and Ademola Lookman. For Lee Kang-in, who scored in the league’s opening match against Malaga on the 20th, this presented an opportunity to leave a strong mark at the start of the season.
Lee Kang-in played a key role in initiating AT Madrid’s offensive plays from the start of the game. Just after the whistle, he scored with a confident left-footed strike. In the 5th minute of the first half, AT Madrid had to deal with a dangerous opportunity in front of their goal, but defender Marc Puig stopped it with a strong defensive action. This was described as an “outstanding tackle” that avoided a goal.
Following a reorganization, At Madrid increased its attacking intensity. Lee Kang-in moved back into midfield to distribute the ball forward, stretch the play to the flanks, or make central advances, functioning effectively in a “free role” to steer the offense. Nevertheless, Villarreal’s goal continued to remain unpenetrated.
In the 35th and 42nd minutes of the first half, Lee Kang-in took mid-range shots by himself, but they missed. A strong right-footed attempt during stoppage time in the first half was also stopped by a defender. Lee Kang-in had the highest number of shots (4) for the team in the first half. However, because of inaccurate shooting, none of them hit the target.
Both sides, which had engaged in ineffective attacks during the first half, initiated strong assaults in the second half. At Madrid was the first to take advantage. In the 14th minute of the second half, Puig executed a quick pass with Giuliano Simeone on the right side and netted the first goal with an outstanding left-footed curling shot. This was the same location where Lee Kang-in had scored his debut goal for At Madrid.
However, the lead didn’t last for long. In the 19th minute of the second half, AT Madrid’s defense made a foul within the penalty area during a tackle. Following a short break, the referee signaled for the penalty. Experienced player Gerard Moreno, Villarreal’s designated penalty taker, confidently scored the kick.
The atmosphere became charged. In the 30th minute of the second half, the referee stopped the game as AT Madrid was on the attack. The reason was to examine a possible foul within AT Madrid’s penalty area from the previous defensive play. Following a video assistant referee (VAR) review, the referee signaled for a second penalty against AT Madrid. During this time, defender Robin Le Normand, who had been objecting, was shown a second yellow card and sent off. The match shifted in Villarreal’s favor with the scoreline at 1-2.
“Simeone on the field” rescued AT Madrid, which was playing with 10 players. Simeone, entering the penalty area, received a through pass and scored with a low shot. His father, AT Madrid manager Diego Simeone, erupted in joy at the goal that tied the game.
Even though 9 more minutes were added in stoppage time, neither team managed to score again, resulting in a 2-2 tie with each side earning one point.
In the meantime, Lee Kang-in took 6 shots (0 of which were on target) and achieved an 81% pass completion rate (25 successful passes from 31 attempts). He also generated two scoring opportunities. The football statistics website FootMob awarded him a score of 7.3. Despite not converting chances into goals, the rating indicates a fairly strong performance.
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