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Lee Kang-in (center) of Atletico Madrid dribbles past Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid during a home match in Round 7 of the 2026-2027 La Liga at Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on the 20th (local time). / Reuters, Yonhap

Lee Kang-in helped Atletico Madrid secure victory in his first Madrid derby since joining the Spanish La Liga club, making a strong impact on both ends of the pitch despite not scoring.

Atletico Madrid beat 10-man Real Madrid 2-1 at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid on Sept. 20 local time in the seventh round of the 2026-2027 La Liga season. The victory was Atletico’s third straight, lifting the club to second place on 16 points, while Real Madrid fell to fourth on 15 points after suffering its second defeat of the season.

Lee played a key role in the buildup to both Atletico goals during his 89 minutes on the field before being replaced by Morten Hjulmand in the 89th minute.

In the 53rd minute, Lee delivered the pass that started the move leading to Atletico’s opening goal from the penalty spot. Six minutes later, he played a forward pass to Giuliano Simeone, who went on to assist Jonathan David for Atletico’s second goal.

Lee also drew criticism for a dangerous foul that angered Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.

In the 45th minute, Lee tackled Federico Valverde from behind in midfield and stepped on the Real Madrid midfielder’s ankle, resulting in a foul.

After the match, Mourinho brought a photo of the incident to his press conference and argued that Lee should have been sent off.

                                                                                                           Cho Seong-jun