First-minute magic from Lee Kang-in sets the tone in Atlético’s 2-0 win over Manchester United

A bit of magic from Lee Kang-in in the first minute of Atlético Madrid's UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United set the tone immediately in the 2-0 win at home.

The victory on Tuesday at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid was Atlético’s first in the league phase of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. The club began the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Liverpool and now have one win and one loss in two games.

Near the halfway line 51 seconds in, Lee put a long ball over the top right into the path of Álex Baena, who latched onto it and drove forward, cut back once and slid a low ball across the penalty area to Pablo Barrios, who finished, albeit with some good fortune.

Lee started up front alongside Julián Álvarez and led the attack.

In the 12th minute, United forward Bryan Mbeumo fired just wide of the post. Johnny Cardoso found the net with a long-range shot in the 43rd minute, but a video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled the goal out due to a Marcos Llorente handball in the buildup.

Álvarez hit the post with a first-time left-footed shot from Barrios’s in the 54th minute. Manager Diego Simeone took off Lee and Barrios at the hour mark and sent on Marc Pubill and Jonathan David. At the other end, Bruno Fernandes hit the crossbar in the 70th minute.

United really put themselves under the cosh in the 74th minute when defender Leny Yoro fouled David to deny him a clear scoring chance, earning a straight red after an on-field VAR review.

Five minutes later, David’s shot came off the goalkeeper, and Ademola Lookman turned in the rebound. Atlético goalkeeper Jan Oblak then blocked a shot from Matheus Cunha with his foot in the second minute of stoppage time to keep a clean sheet.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae played the full 90 minutes in a 3-3 draw away at Norwegian club Viking. Bayern went down to 10 men when Michael Olise was shown a second yellow card for throwing the ball at an opponent’s face, and Viking equalized in the 90th minute.

Lee went into the game facing rumors about the national team.

Kim, midfielder Hwang In-beom of Porto and forward Hwang Hee-chan of Schalke 04 are known in Korea as the “1996 line” for their shared birth year. The three allegedly hinted to teammates that they planned to quit the national team after a friendly against Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. Reports of a rift in the squad followed.

When speculation spread online that Lee was involved, the playmaker, through his agency, dismissed the rumor as groundless on Tuesday.

Amid the noise, Manchester United great Park Ji-sung, who shot a TV commercial with Lee when he was a child, publicly backed Lee. 

“I believe that [Lee] is the most technically gifted player that Korea has ever produced,” Park told Spanish daily Marca ahead of the game. “I’m curious to see how far he can go on the global stage.”

Lee arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in July, the same summer that Atlético great Antoine Griezmann left for Orlando City in Major League Soccer.

“Filling the void left by a great club legend in a short time is extremely difficult,” Park said. “However, in the long term, [Lee] has enough potential. If he continues to prove himself on the field, I believe that he can become a legend himself. I hope that [he] becomes ‘world-class Lee Kang-in’ rather than a ‘second Griezmann.’”

Park, who spent seven seasons at United, also joked about where his loyalties lay for the game.

“Most Koreans will hope for Atlético's victory,” he said. “I will cheer for [Lee] to showcase his full talent, but I hope that Manchester United wins.”

Lee did just that, and United lost.

BY PARK LIN [[email protected]]