Lee Kang-in (right) dribbles past opponent Ayden Heaven during the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase matchday 2 fixture between his club Atlético Madrid and English Premier League (EPL) side Manchester United, held at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on the 14th (KST). / AP, Yonhap

Lee Kang-in (25), playing in Spanish professional football, sparked his club Atlético Madrid's defeat of Manchester United (Man Utd) with an incisive through ball.

Atlético tasted the joy of their first victory with a 2-0 win over English Premier League (EPL) side Man Utd in matchday 2 of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase, held at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on the 14th (KST). Previously, Atlético had fallen 1-2 to Liverpool in matchday 1 of the league phase.

Lee Kang-in, who had been dealing with mental strain amid rumors placing him at the center of alleged friction within the South Korean national team, started up front as one of two strikers in a 4-4-2 formation, setting the stage for the opening match-winner with a sublime forward pass.

Just 41 seconds into the match, Lee slipped a left-footed pass from near the halfway line into the space behind Man Utd's defensive line. An onrushing Álex Baena latched onto the ball, drove into the left side of the penalty area, and squared a pass to Pablo Barrios, who was making a run on the opposite side. Barrios finished with a right-footed strike from the right side of the penalty box, which deflected off an opposing defender and found the back of the net.

Even after the opening goal, Lee continued to drive the attack—eluding two defenders with nimble dribbling along the right flank in the 11th minute to deliver a pass—before being substituted for Jonathan David in the 16th minute of the second half. Playing 61 minutes on the day, he received a rating of 6.7 from Sofascore.

Although Atlético appeared to add another goal through Johnny Cardoso in the 43rd minute, it was disallowed after an on-field video assistant referee (VAR) review detected a teammate's handball violation just prior to the goal. However, Atlético sealed their 2-0 victory in the 34th minute of the second half when Ademola Lookman struck to double the lead.

Meanwhile, in another UCL league fixture, Bayern Munich, featuring Kim Min-jae (30), drew 3-3 with Viking FK (Norway). Munich's central defender Kim Min-jae played the full 90 minutes, but the team conceded three goals amid overall defensive instability.

Elsewhere, Club Brugge (Belgium), home to Lee Han-beom (24), secured a 4-3 victory over Inter Milan (Italy).

                                                                                                             Cho Seong-jun