Paris Saint-Germain winger Lee Kang-in is used to being overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe at club level. Son Heung-min remains the icon for his national team South Korea.
But with two moments of individual brilliance against Bahrain on Monday, Lee took center stage at the Asian Cup. Not that he seemed comfortable under the spotlight after scoring twice in the second half to inspire South Korea to a 3-1 win in the Group E match.
“It's not just about my two goals. All the goals we score are very important for the team. I would just like to say and highlight that it is not about individual performance,” a modest Lee said afterward.
His coach Jurgen Klinsmann was also restrained in his praise of the forward.
“If you score two in the opening game of the Asian Cup for us you deserve to be man of match and (it was) a very good performance. But I have to keep him on the ground every day,” he said with a smile.
It feels like there is no danger of success going to Lee's head. And as members of the media crowded around after the post-match news conference, he was likely happy to see it was Klinsmann, the World Cup-winning former Germany striker, who was being mobbed with requests for selfies.
Lee was just trying to get back to the locker room at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.
Earlier he had scored two picture perfect goals to get South Korea off to a winning start in the competition the country hasn't won since back-to-back titles in 1956 and 60.
The game was tied at 1-1 when he took control, giving South Korea a 2-1 lead in the 56th-minute with a left-footed shot from around 30 yards (meters).
He was equally clinical as he scored his second goal 12 minutes later when showing sharp footwork and curling the ball into the bottom corner.
Hwang In-beom had given South Korea a first half lead with a goal in the 38th, but Bahrain equalized six minutes after the break through Abdullah Al Hashash.
“We knew it was not going to be easy to play Bahrain today and it turned out to be scrappy,” Klinsmann said. “We are very pleased to start with three points in the tournament, that is what really matters.”
Two-time champion South Korea hadn’t conceded a goal in its last six Asian Cup group games, spanning the past two tournaments. But that record was put under threat early on when an unmarked Mohamed Marhoon headed over from close range.
It was the first of a number of missed chances for both teams until Hwang’s opener.
South Korea’s Cho Gue-sung fired over with only the goalkeeper to beat and Lee Jae-sung also missed the target at the far post.
Bahrain’s Ali Madan shot wide after bursting into the box.
It was Hwang who finally delivered a precise finish as South Korea went ahead — sweeping a shot past Lutfallah after Lee's cross.
Bahrain continued to create openings in the second half and Komail Al Aswad forced a save from Kim Seung-gyu before Al Hashash struck with a side-footed finish from inside the box.
