Atlético Madrid's Lee Kang-in dribbles the ball in Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, Spain, on Aug. 29.REUTERS/YONHAP
Lee Kang-in needed just four minutes to make his mark. The Atlético Madrid midfielder sliced open Sevilla’s defense with a perfectly weighted pass for his first assist of the season in a 3-1 win.
He set up the opening goal in Atlético’s third La Liga match of the 2026-27 season at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, Spain, on Saturday.
Lee cut inside from the right before threading a left-footed pass through Sevilla’s defensive line. Álex Baena ran onto the ball inside the penalty area and fired a right-footed shot into the net.
Lee immediately ran over to celebrate with Baena. The two players go back years. Lee came through Valencia’s youth system, while Baena developed at Villarreal. The pair previously played together for regional teams in Valencia at the under-15 and under-16 levels.
Atlético earlier shared an old team photo of Lee and Baena from their youth days. Reunited at Atlético this season, the pair combined for the opening goal.
An old team photo from 2017, top, shows Lee Kang-in, right circle, and Álex Baena on the same team; A composite below shows them more recently.SCREEN CAPTURE
Lee, who scored his first goal of the season in the opener against Málaga, recorded his first assist in his third match of the campaign.
Lee also played a part in Atlético’s second goal in the 26th minute. Pablo Barrios exchanged passes with Lee in midfield, drove forward and found Ademola Lookman, who finished the move.
Baena made it 3-0 in the 33rd minute with a powerful strike.
Lookman found the net again six minutes into the second half after a buildup that went through Lee, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Atlético Madrid's Lee Kang-in reacts during a match at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, Spain, on Aug. 29.REUTERS/YONHAP
Miguel Sierra pulled one back for Sevilla in the 67th minute with a one-timer. Sevilla then piled on the pressure. Lee came off for Koke in the 72nd minute after another solid outing as his playing time continues to increase this season.
Lee started up front alongside Baena and moved between the right flank and central areas. Atlético was without striker Julián Álvarez, who missed training amid speculation over a possible transfer, while Alexander Sorloth was sidelined through injury.
The victory extended Atlético’s unbeaten start to three matches, with two wins and a draw. Atlético moved provisionally to the top of La Liga, with its rivals yet to play their third-round matches.
Football statistics site FotMob gave Lee an 8 rating. He completed 30 of his 32 passes for a 94 percent completion rate.
Baena, who scored twice, was named player of the match.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
