Wearing sneakers and starting to ‘accompany’ with the athletes… Lee Kang-in, ‘one-on-one’ conversation with coach Hwang Seon-hong on the bench

Coach Hwang Seon-hong and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) sat side by side on the bench and talked for about 20 minutes.

The Asian Games men’s national soccer team, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, is preparing to face Thailand in the second match of Group E of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games group stage at the Jinhua Sports Center in Zhejiang Province, China, on the 21st. The national team, which defeated Kuwait 9-0 in the first game, will advance to the round of 16 early if it defeats Thailand. As the previously held match between Bahrain and Kuwait in Group E ended in a 1-1 draw, the possibility of advancing to the round of 16 further increased.

Coach Hwang changed the starting list of five players compared to the first game, and the focus on this day was whether Lee Kang-in would sit on the bench. Lee Kang-in arrived at Hangzhou Airport at 1:45 pm local time. He said, “I will do my best to achieve good results,” but when asked about his physical condition, he simply said, “It is a secret.”스포츠토토

Afterwards, Lee Kang-in and his national team officials went straight to the team’s dormitory where the team was staying. He arrived at his accommodation at around 4:40 and met up with his national team teammates. Without hesitating from his travels, Lee Kang-in took the team bus from his lodgings and entered the Jinhwa Sports Center, where the second match against Thailand was held.

Lee Kang-in was not included in the roster for the second game. About 1 hour and 30 minutes before the start of the game, the players entered the stadium for warm-up. Lee Kang-in appeared last. Lee Kang-in, who appeared wearing sneakers instead of soccer shoes, greeted the fans, hugged shoulders with the players, and shouted good luck. Afterwards, Lee Kang-in sat on the bench and talked with Director Hwang with a serious expression for a long time.

The conversation between Coach Hwang and Lee Kang-in continued for about 20 minutes until the players warmed up. When the end of training time was announced, Coach Hwang and Lee Kang-in entered the locker room.