'Woodwork curse'—Lee Kang-in plays 67 minutes as Atlético Madrid climb to the top with seventh straight win

[Financial News] Lee Kang-in, 25, started for Spanish professional soccer club Atlético Madrid and helped the team claim its seventh straight league win and move to the top with an energetic performance that included hitting the woodwork.
Atlético Madrid, led by head coach Diego Simeone, beat Levante 2-0 in an away match in Round 11 of the 2026-27 Spanish LaLiga season at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia in Valencia, Spain. With a blistering run of seven consecutive league wins, Atlético Madrid climbed to sole possession of first place with 28 points (9 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss), overtaking FC Barcelona, who have played one fewer match and have 27 points.

After shaking off the effects of a thigh contusion from last month, Lee Kang-in featured in the previous, 10th-round match against Deportivo and started again in this match, making his second consecutive start alongside Julián Álvarez as one of the two forwards in a 4-4-2 formation. With an aggressive press up front and tireless movement across the flanks, Lee covered the pitch for 67 minutes.
The goal contribution he had hoped for frustratingly eluded him after a stroke of bad luck with the woodwork. Lee’s left-footed shot from outside the penalty area in the 25th minute of the first half was blocked by a defender, but he got a decisive chance in the 10th minute of the second half. Receiving a pass from Pablo Barrios during a counterattack, he unleashed a bold left-footed shot from outside the penalty area. The ball deflected off a defender and crashed against the crossbar, leaving him to rue the missed chance.
Lee was substituted for Jonathan David in the 22nd minute of the second half. He has scored two goals and provided one assist in 13 official matches this season (all 11 LaLiga matches, including nine starts). He had two shots and showcased his sharp distribution, completing 91% of his passes (31 of 34) and all three of his long passes. However, he struggled with dribbling (one successful attempt out of six) and ground duels (two won out of 12), earning a 6.4 rating—the lowest among the starters—from football statistics outlets FotMob and SofaScore.

Atlético Madrid held off early pressure from home side Levante thanks to saves by goalkeeper Jan Oblak, but were left frustrated when Morten Hjulmand’s goal in the 16th minute of the first half was ruled out for offside after a video assistant referee (VAR) review. Then, in the 32nd minute of the first half (the 36th in some accounts), Alejandro Grimaldo capitalized on a defensive error and surged into the left side of the penalty area, firing a powerful left-footed shot into the top-left corner to put his team ahead.
Riding their momentum, Atlético Madrid added the decisive goal in the 17th minute of the second half when Giuliano Simeone received a through ball from Alex Baena on a counterattack and calmly finished a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper with his left foot. Grimaldo, scorer of the opener and winner, received the highest rating across both teams, an 8.0, while Simeone, who added the second goal, was rated 7.7.
Atlético Madrid, now top of the league, and Lee Kang-in will face FC Bayern Munich of Germany, featuring national team defender Kim Min-jae, on the 4th in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase.


[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter