Missing their beloved captain and biggest star in a men's football friendly against Tunisia on Friday night, South Korea received some valuable contribution from others plying their club trade in Europe.
None came up as big as Lee Kang-in, midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) who scored a brace at Seoul World Cup Stadium to lift South Korea to a 4-0 victory. These were Lee's first two goals for the senior national team in his 15th match.
Lee also played a role in Tunisia's own goal that put South Korea up 3-0. Lee found Kim Min-jae's head with a corner, and the shot went into the Tunisian net off the leg of defender Yassine Meriah.
Lee netted his first goal on a free kick that he himself drew, after getting fouled by Ellyes Skhiri outside the right edge of the area. Lee fired his signature curler into the right corner, and goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen managed to get only a piece of the ball as it crossed the goal line on 55 minutes.
About two minutes later, Lee doubled South Korea's lead after winning the loose ball battle against multiple defenders in the box. Lee briefly lost his balance but quickly got back up to fire a left-footed shot past Dahmen, who was frozen at his spot in the middle of the net.
Usually a playmaking midfielder, Lee showed off his goal scoring prowess without Tottenham Hotspur talisman Son Heung-min in the lineup. Son, who had been dealing with a groin injury, was a limited participant in training all week and was held out of the match altogether.
While Son is in a league of his own in terms of his popularity in South Korean sports, Lee isn't that far behind. Now 22, Lee was once a child prodigy who turned heads with some impressive ball control skills on national television in a reality football show. Lee came into national football consciousness at age seven, even before Son, who didn't truly become a transcendent star until his move to the Premier League eight years ago.
With Son on the bench, the lovefest for Lee was in full swing at Seoul World Cup Stadium. With the match already out of reach in the dying moments, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann subbed out Lee and gave his player a chance to soak in a loud standing ovation from some 59,000 fans.
This has been a memorable month of October for Lee. Last Saturday, Lee won the Asian Games gold medal for South Korea in Hangzhou, China, and earned himself an exemption from the mandatory military service.
He will now only have to complete a few weeks of training and then fulfill community service hours within a three-year span. Not having to spend some 18 months in the military sets Lee up for an uninterrupted career in France or perhaps elsewhere in Europe as he enters his prime years.
The two goals seemed to be a well-timed celebration for one of South Korea's brightest young football stars, the one that illuminated everything else as he streaked across the Seoul sky Friday night.
Source: Yonhap News Agency