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Atlético Madrid's new No. 7, Lee Kang-in, shook up Sevilla's home turf just 4 minutes into the match. During the La Liga Round 3 away game held on the 29th (local time), Lee started as a forward in manager Diego Simeone's 4-4-2 formation, recording a brilliant first assist of the season.
While his playmaking and passing skills were already proven, no one expected him to show such attacking lethality up front so quickly. Four minutes into the first half, Lee cut in from the right and threaded a precise through-ball that pierced the defense, which teammate Álex Baena calmly slotted home for the opening goal. Interestingly, Lee, who provided the assist, and Baena, who scored the goal, are childhood friends who played together on a Valencia-area youth team about 10 years ago. It was a moment where the perfect chemistry of childhood friends was flawlessly recreated on the La Liga stage while wearing Atlético Madrid kits.
Lee Kang-in, who joined Atlético Madrid this summer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, raised high expectations by inheriting Antoine Griezmann's iconic No. 7 jersey. Amid the current injury crisis in the team's forward line, manager Simeone is actively utilizing Lee not just as a midfielder, but as a multi-purpose attacking asset. Following his debut goal in the season opener, he showed off his playmaking and assist ability in this match, seemingly solving manager Simeone's tactical dilemmas with ease.
Starting with Lee Kang-in's assist for the opener, Atlético Madrid finished the first half 3-0 up, thanks to an additional goal by Ademola Lookman and a brace from Baena. Fans are now turning their attention to Atlético's frontline, eager to see what kind of impact the tactical versatility Lee provides as a striker will have on the La Liga landscape this season.
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