It’s not Lee Kang-in at that time.
Jordan’s away trip to the 2026 World Cup finals will be held. With ace Son Heung-min out, attention is drawn to the flashes of “another ace” Lee Kang-in. In particular, I wondered if he would pay back the humiliation at the time in this round of confrontation, especially when he had a nightmare-like experience with Jordan most recently.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play the third Group B match in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup at Amman International Stadium in Jordan at 11 p.m. on the 10th (Korea time).
With Jordan, South Korea and Iraq recording one win and one draw, Group B shared the first, second and third places, respectively, depending on score and difference. The upcoming showdown between South Korea and Jordan has become an important showdown to gauge the direction of tickets to the finals, which will be given to the two teams ranking first and second in each group.
The variable of the match is expected to come from the absence of the two teams’ aces. Son Heung-min, who is no exaggeration to say that South Korea is the best player in Asian soccer history, missed the away match in Jordan due to a muscle injury behind his left thigh. Jordan is likely to miss Moussa al-Tamari, who made fun of the Taegeuk Warriors with one goal and one assist in the semifinal match of the Asian Cup in February. Although he was on the list, the Jordan coaching staff first predicted his absence.
This is why Lee Kang-in’s proportion in Hong Myung-bo’s attack has increased.
Lee Kang-in is becoming a key player to expect the performance of Korean soccer in the 2026 World Cup. If Son Heung-min was struggling alone before, he now has another tremendous weapon called Lee Kang-in in the national team.
However, the match against Jordan is different this time. Son Heung-min’s thigh injury is expected to put the weight of his offense on Lee Kang-in. In particular, since Hwang Hee-chan, who scored 12 goals for Wolverhampton in the Premier League last season, has been pushed to the bench this season, and his sense of play is uncertain, Lee Kang-in’s strong sense of play has no choice but to take on the role of troubleshooter for Hong Myung-bo.
Lee Kang-in, who impressed by helping Cho Kyu-sung’s comeback goal with a “courier cross” as soon as he entered as a substitute in the second match against Ghana at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, has announced his true value by scoring beyond assist in the national team over the past year.
The national team played a total of 17 A matches from the match against Tunisia in October last year to the away match against Oman in September because Lee Kang-in scored nine goals. It proved that it is also good for driving, with three multi-goals among them.
Recently, he caught the eye of European soccer fans with his all-around play at his team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), France’s strongest team. Lee Kang-in, who can play left and right wingers, offensive midfielders, and central midfielders, has been playing as a front-line striker in the zero-top system at the judgment of PSG coach Luis Enrique for a while. Although Enrique is using Lee Kang-in as a main player, he is expanding his position little by little as he is active every time he is deployed, not as a complete main player but as a runner-up between the starting line and the bench.
In the 2024-2025 season, he scored three goals in seven games in the French League 1, especially with three goals even though his total expected score (xG) in seven games was about one goal, indicating that his goal-making ability was at its peak.
He specializes in using his left foot, but since the end of last season, he has been taking after Son Heung-min, who is good at both feet, shooting sharply with his right foot.
Lee Kang-in has a reason to avenge Jordan.
Lee Kang-in was selected in the Asian Cup semi-final against Jordan in February, but was sluggish except for the moment when he almost recorded an assist with a good pass at the end of the first half. He was on the side and moved to the center, making meaningless moves and the play was outlandish. Eventually, the ball was lost to the opponent’s ace Al Tamari in the middle of the second half, and Al Tamari quickly beat seven Taegeuk Warriors and scored a fantastic goal to focus on the 2-0 victory.
On top of that, after Korean soccer was devastated by the defeat against Jordan and Jürgen Klinsmann was replaced, he was known by the British tabloid “The Sun” to have a rare incident in which Son Heung-min fought at the table tennis court the day before the match against Jordan, putting his soccer life in crisis.
Fortunately, Lee Kang-in visited London, England, and apologized to Son Heung-min, and it ended warmly as Son Heung-min also accepted it. 안전놀이터
Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in became the best offensive duo of the national team, who collaborated (Lee Kang-in’s help → Son Heung-min’s goal) like the scene of the away game in Oman.
However, it is also true that the physical fight at that time has been talked about under the name of ‘table tennis gate’ so far.
From Lee Kang-in’s point of view, if he plays a strong role in the match against Jordan, which humiliated Korean soccer and himself, and especially in the enemy, he can cleanse the pain. The timing is right now for Lee Kang-in to give Jordan a “football court gate,” which has lost its fear due to its scary offense.
