Lee Kang-in (23, Paris Saint-Germain) will play in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the fourth time as a Korean player.
Paris Saint-Germain won 4-1 in the second leg of the 2023-24 UCL quarterfinals at Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, at 4 a.m. on April 17 (Korea time).
PSG has won a great all-time victory. PSG had come from behind to lose 2-3 in the first leg of the UCL quarterfinals at home on the 11th.
PSG also played a difficult game in the second leg of the UCL quarterfinals.
PSG conceded the first goal to Barcelona's Hafinha in the 12th minute of the first half.
Starting with Usman Dembele's equalizer, PSG succeeded in turning the game around with multiple goals from Vitinha and Kylian Mbappe.
Lee Kang-in was excluded from the starting list on the same day.
Lee Kang-in was satisfied with the team's victory by replacing Barcola in the 32nd minute of the second half.
Lee Kang-in said on his social networking service (SNS) after the game, "It's a really beautiful night to reach the semifinals of (UCL)," adding, "I'm really grateful to the fans."
Lee Kang-in will be the fourth Korean player to play in the UCL semifinals after Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo and Son Heung-min.
Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo faced AC Milan in PSV Eindhoven uniforms in the UCL semifinals of the 2004–05 season.
Park Ji-sung then moved to Manchester United and played in the UCL finals twice. In the 2007-08 season, when he won the trophy, despite his strong performance in the semi-finals, he experienced the pain of excluding him from the finals list.
Son Heung-min made the final stage beyond the UCL semifinals in the 2018-19 season. At that time, Tottenham Hotspur failed to lift the trophy, losing 0-2 to Liverpool, which they met in the final.
Paris Saint-Germain's semifinal opponent is Borussia Dortmund, who beat Atletico Madrid.
Lee Kang-in started in the first round of the UCL quarterfinals and was pushed to the bench in the second round.
There is a good chance that he will take the lead. Lee Kang-in has two goals and two assists in 17 French Ligue 1 matches this season. One goal and one assist in eight UCL games.
PSG will play the first leg of the UCL semi-final against Dortmund on 1 May. PSG has 13 league games to play before this game. A schedule that requires at least two games a week.
Lee Kang-in will be given a chance to start. We must seize this opportunity.
Lee Geun-seung, reporter for MK Sports.
