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The joys and sorrows of the two strikers connected by 'Lee Kang-in' were divided.
In a game that drew attention due to the La Liga debut of Kylian Mbappe (25, Real Madrid), his best friend during his time in Paris Saint-Germain, Vedat Muriki (30), a tall striker from Mallorca, well-known as Lee Kang-in's best friend in Mallorca, stood as the main character.
Muriki, who is almost unknown compared to Mbappe, supported a 1-1 surprise draw by exploding an equalizer in the 8th minute of the second half when he was being dragged 0-1 by allowing Hodrigu to score the first goal in the 13th minute of the first half in the opening match of Spain's Primera Liga in the 2024-2025 season against Real at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix in Mallorca, Spain on the 19th (Korea time).
Real, led by Real coach Carlo Ancelotti, got off to a shaky start, failing to bring three points against Mallorca even after putting in a total of Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Hodrigo and Jude Bellingham, who led the European Super Cup.
Mbappe, who left PSG last summer to join Real and scored a fantastic winning goal in the Super Cup final against Atalanta, his official debut, was especially silent on his La Liga debut. In the 24th minute, Vinicius's left cross was connected with a non-stop shot in front of the gate, but it went off the post. In the 16th and 24th minutes of the second half, two shots were blocked by the goalkeeper. Mbappe did not score on four shots, nor did he create a chance.
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Muriki, on the other hand, had the best night. In the 8th minute of the second half, he opened the goal with a powerful header using his height of 1m94 in a corner kick situation. Antonio Rudiger and Thibaut Courtois were also useless. In addition, in the seventh minute of extra time in the second half, Real left-back Ferland Mendy was forced to leave. Mendy was sent off directly for a rough tackle.
Japanese national striker Takuma Asano joined Mallorca this summer and made his La Liga debut. He started as a right striker and spent 72 minutes on the ground until he was replaced in the 27th minute of the second half.
Coach Zagoba Arasate, who took the helm of Majorca in June, raised expectations by performing better than expected in his debut. Arasate is an unknown player and has served as Real Sociedad, Numancia and Osasuna in the past. Leading Osasuna's promotion to the top flight in 2019 and finishing runner-up in Copadelay in 2023 was the biggest achievement so far.
Muriqi, a Kosovo international, entered Mallorca in 2022 after passing through Fenerbahce and Lazio. He boasted a perfect match with Lee Kang-in, who grew steeply in Mallorca at the time between 2021 and 2023. Since moving to PSG for a 22 million euro transfer in the summer of 2023, Lee Kang-in has also visited Mallorca's home stadium during the season and watched the game with Muriki. During the pre-season of this season, they continued their relationship by conducting individual training together.
Lee Kang-in, who left Mbappe, led the team to a 4-1 victory in the opening match of Le Havre and Ligue 1 on the 17th by shooting a high-speed Masugul goal in the third minute of the first half. 'Absolute ace' He took his first step well without Mbappe.
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Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Le Havre v Paris St Germain - Stade Oceane, Le Havre, France - August 16, 2024 Paris St Germain's Lee Kang-in scores their first goal REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
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yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
