Korean Midfielder Lee Kang-in Makes Limited Impact as PSG Exits European Tournament

Courtesy of Paris Saint-Germain's instagram

In the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was defeated 1-0 by Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes in Paris on Tuesday. Dortmund's victory secured their spot in the final with a 2-0 aggregate win, having won the opening leg 1-0 in Germany the previous week.

Lee Kang-in, a Korean midfielder for PSG, was substituted in the 76th minute for Warren Zaire-Emery as PSG trailed 1-0 due to a goal by Mats Hummels.
 

▲ Courtesy of Paris Saint-Germain's instagramDespite efforts to narrow the deficit, Lee's direct free kick in the 82nd minute found Marquinhos for a header that narrowly missed the far post. In the closing minutes, Lee himself missed the target with an attempt to the left.

This match marked Lee's appearance in a UEFA Champions League semifinal, making him the fifth Korean player to do so, following Lee Young-pyo (PSV Eindhoven, 2005), Park Ji-sung (Manchester United, 2011), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur, 2019), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich, 2024).

PSG's elimination from the tournament eliminates the possibility of a Korean vs. Korean duel in the Champions League final.

Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae, also Korean, is unlikely to play in the second leg of the semifinals after making two costly mistakes in the first leg that led to both of Real Madrid's goals.

Sayart 

Blue YIM, yimyoungseo1010@naver.com