Agencies
Doha
Lee Kang-in’s second half brace ensured South Korea made a positive start to the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 on Monday as the Paris Saint-Germain winger led his side to a 3-1 win over Bahrain at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Group E.
Hwang In-beom gave Jurgen Klinsmann’s side a 38th minute lead but, after Abdulla Al Hashash had levelled the scores six minutes into the second half, Lee Kang-in struck twice in 13 minutes to seal the points for the two-time AFC Asian Cup champions.
The 22-year-old’s first was an exquisite strike from 25 yards in the 56th minute and he sealed the win with 21 minutes remaining, stroking a clinical finish into the bottom corner of Ebrahim Lutfalla’s goal.
The victory was comfortable in the end for Klinsmann’s side but the Bahrainis had given the German’s team an early warning when Mohamed Marhoon headed Komail Al Aswad’s free-kick over the crossbar.
Lee, who clearly stole the show, however remained modest of his exploits.
“It’s not just about my two goals. All the goals we score are very important for the team. I would just like to say and highlight that it is not about individual performance,” Lee said post game.
His coach Jurgen Klinsmann was also restrained in his praise of the forward.
“If you score two in the opening game of the Asian Cup for us you deserve to be man of match and (it was) a very good performance. But I have to keep him on the ground every day,” he said with a smile.
South Korea went close on the half-hour mark with Cho Gue-sung blasting over the bar while Bahrain almost delivered the opener in the 33rd minute as Ali Madan latched onto Al Hashash’s perfectly weighted through ball, but his shot seared marginally off target.
Five minutes later, however, South Korea took the lead. Kim Min-jae’s pass found Lee Jae-sung in space in the penalty area and the FSV Mainz midfielder strode forward to angle a pin-point pass towards Hwang, who slotted his left-footed shot well beyond Lutfalla.
Lee Kang-in’s free-kick just cleared the crossbar and Son Heung-min’s 20-yard attempt found the goalkeeper’s arms as the Koreans sought a second before halftime, but Bahrain held on despite coming under increased pressure.
In the 51st minute Juan Antonio Pizzi’s side pulled level, Al Hashash scoring from eight yards out after Kim Seung-gyu had denied Al Aswad moments earlier with a sprawling save to his right.
But parity was to only last five minutes as Lee Kang-in put his side back in front, the former Valencia winger finding space in a central position 25 yard from goal and punishing the Bahrainis with a left foot strike that beat the goalkeeper via in the inside of the post.
Son shot over the bar before Lee Kang-in delivered again, receiving possession from Hwang inside the area and stepping inside the defence to curl his second home past the helpless Lutfalla.
The South Koreans could have had more, with Son seeing an effort ruled out for offside and also steering a late attempt narrowly wide as the Taeguk Warriors kicked off their quest for a first AFC Asian Cup title in 64 years in emphatic fashion.
“We knew it was not going to be easy to play Bahrain today and it turned out to be scrappy,” Klinsmann said. “We are very pleased to start with three points in the tournament, that is what really matters.”
South Korea will meet Jordan next on Saturday while Bahrain will attempt to revive their fortunes against Malaysia.
