“Kang In deserves the love of many people and I have confidence that he will become a great player. He is a player who will lead the Korean soccer in the future.” “Captain” Son Heung-min delivered the message after creating a joint venture with Lee Kang-in.
The South Korean national soccer team (22nd FIFA ranking), led by interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, won 3-0 against Thailand (101st FIFA ranking) in the fourth Group C match of the second preliminary round of the 2026 FIFA North-Central America World Cup held at Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand at 9:30 p.m. on the 26th (Korea time). With the victory, South Koreans continued to remain undefeated in the fourth round of the second preliminary round (3 wins and 1 draw), and maintained the lone lead with 10 points.
Lee Kang-in was also the player who received the most attention ahead of this two-game series in Thailand. In the last Asian Cup in Qatar, conflicts within the squad exploded ahead of the semifinals against Jordan, causing a lot of controversy. In particular, the news that Lee Kang-in was at the center of it became more controversial, and he later left an apology on his SNS.
Now everything is closed. Lee Kang-in personally visited Son Heung-min in London and made a sincere apology, and both players announced that they had reconciled through SNS. After that, Son Heung-min once again covered Lee Kang-in, and Lee Kang-in also bowed his head himself.
Korea desperately needed a turnaround in the two consecutive games against Thailand. Especially for Lee Kang-in, it was an opportunity to change the voice of criticism back to the voice of support. In the end, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in collaborated on a score that washed away all concerns. In the 8th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in saw Son Heung-min in the midfield and connected the pass, and then Son Heung-min shook the net with a powerful shot after breaking the defender’s balance through a crossover. Lee Kang-in, who later recorded help, held a fierce hug ceremony with Son Heung-min.
It was a perfect victory. Lee Jae-seong scored the first goal, Son Heung-min scored an additional goal, and Park Jin-seop scored a decisive goal. All of them were goals created by the team. Above all, it was meaningful that Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, who were directly involved in the controversy over the downfall, created a joint product, and their fan sentiment, which was divided due to the hugging ceremony of the two players, was able to become one again. 퀸알바
After the game, Son Heung-min delivered a message to Lee Kang-in. “Many people were worried. When you play soccer, you have a strong desire to win, and there can be disputes because you have something to ask for. I hope Kangin will become a better player and a good person through this opportunity. I hope Kangin will live as a player, recognizing that 50 million people are watching. Kangin deserves the love of many people, and I have confidence that he will become a great player. He is a player who will lead Korean soccer in the future. I hugged Kangin for the first time in a long time, and he is so cute, and I hope he does well,” he said, hoping Lee Kang-in will become a better player.