Lee Kang-In led South Korea to a 3-1 Asian Cup victory over Bahrain

South Korea defeated Bahrain 3-1 in their Asian Cup Group E opening on Monday, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in saving his team with a second-half brace at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

With the score equal at 1-1 following goals from Hwang In-Beom and Bahrain’s Abdullah Al-Hashsash, Lee unleashed two devastating shots that had the South Korean supporters at the modest 15,000-seat venue roaring with glee.

In a stop-start match with several fouls in the first half, South Korea had three players on yellow cards in the first half hour, including center defender Kim Min-Jae.

The Korean supporters had had enough and were booing the referee everytime he kept his cards in his pocket for a foul by Bahrain, and the pressure paid off when Ali Madan was booked for a nasty challenge.

Madan was definitely hyped up, and the winger almost broke the stalemate seconds later when he was passed through on goal, but his effort to the top corner went wide.

South Korea then took the lead with a swift flowing play down the left flank, where the ball was passed into the box and Hwang curled home past two Bahrain defenders who collided while following back.

Bahrain came out battling in the second half, and they were rewarded six minutes later when Al-Hashsash got space in the box and fired home into the bottom corner.

South Korea, however, was undeterred, and the east Asian team regained the lead five minutes later via Lee, who fired from beyond the box and watched his spectacular strike curl into the net.

The PSG playmaker doubled his score soon after, receiving the ball from Hwang inside the area, escaping his opponent with quick feet, and curling another effort past the keeper inside the far post.

His second goal tied him with Qatar’s Akram Afif and Japan’s Takumi Minamino for the tournament’s lead in scoring.

South Korean captain Son Heung-Min had a late chance to score when he was released into the area, but his effort went wide, and the Tottenham Hotspur striker was later penalized for simulation after attempting to win a penalty.