Lee Kang-in played a part in Atletico Madrid's opening goal, but the home side could not hold their lead and lost 1-2 to Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday, according to 연합뉴스. The round-12 match was played at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid. Fermin Lopez scored twice for the visitors.
The result ended Atletico's run of seven straight wins. A victory would have taken them back to the top of the table. Instead, they sit third on 28 points from nine wins, one draw and two losses, behind Real Madrid on 30.
Why it matters
The defeat leaves Atletico chasing rather than leading. Having arrived on a long winning streak, Diego Simeone's side had the chance to reclaim first place with a home win over their biggest domestic rival. Losing that opportunity, and doing so after taking the lead, makes the gap to Real Madrid more costly than a single result might suggest.
For Lee, the night offered another sign of his involvement in the team's attacking play even without a goal or assist to his name. According to 연합뉴스, he has now appeared in 14 of Atletico's 15 competitive matches this season. In La Liga he has featured in all 12 games, starting 10 of them, with two goals and one assist.
How the opening goal came about
Lee started up front alongside Julian Alvarez in a 4-4-2 and played 60 minutes, recording one shot. His contribution to the first goal came from the right side of Barcelona's half. After receiving the ball, he switched play with a left-footed outside-of-the-boot pass to pick out Alvarez, who had moved into space on the opposite flank.
Alvarez carried the move on, threading a low, quick ball across the face of goal from the left side of the penalty area. Giuliano Simeone arrived to meet it and finished with his right foot.
Barcelona levelled before half-time. Pedri beat defenders with individual skill and sent the ball into the box; it deflected off a defender and ran loose, and Lopez struck it first time with his left foot to make it 1-1 at the break.
A second straight defeat
The loss to Barcelona followed a 0-2 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League league phase on 4 November, per 연합뉴스. Atletico have now lost two official matches in a row.
Attention around Lee has also included questions about his playing time. Simeone has addressed the topic, saying the midfielder is getting enough minutes to make a positive contribution, according to Korean outlets including 조선일보 and 뉴시스. Against Barcelona, Lee was withdrawn after 60 minutes with the game level.
Atletico's next task is to respond quickly, with the club's league position and their European campaign both under pressure after consecutive defeats.
