The 43,520 spectators who visited the Busan Asiad Main Stadium on the 3rd were able to enjoy double the fun with the Coupang Play series between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Jeonbuk Hyundai. The first pleasure was ‘New Parisian’ Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain). There were an overwhelming number of fans wearing PSG uniforms marked with Lee Kang-in’s name and number 19. Placards showing affection for Lee Kang-in appeared, such as ‘Kangin, marry me’ and ‘My Country Lee Kang-in’. Every time the image of Lee Kang-in, who was included in the replacement list, sitting on the bench appeared on the screen, “Wow” cheers erupted. He was as popular as a famous idol.
Lee Kang-in started to warm up around the 12th minute of the second half and was replaced by rookie striker Hugo Ekitique in the 24th minute. The quiet arena suddenly heated up. Lee Kang-in seemed to be avoiding unreasonable movements such as sprinting and shooting, probably because of the aftermath of his thigh injury, while walking around the ground for about 20 minutes. Nevertheless, he exchanged the ball with Neymar and delighted the eyes of the fans with his sensational out-front pass towards the side. As Paris Saint-Germain coach Enrique said at a press conference the day before, Lee Kang-in was a “pleasure to watch” player. Jeonbuk coach Dan Petrescu, who faced Lee Kang-in that day, said, “It is difficult to comment on Lee Kang-in because he played for a short time today.” . That’s why Paris must have signed him.”
However, the one that shone the most in this match was Neymar, the “Brazilian superstar.” During the Japanese tour, Neymar, who had grown close enough to joke around with Lee Kang-in, showed his true colors in Busan. Neymar, who injured his ankle during a game with his team in February and only had to rehabilitate and train for about six months, was put in the starting lineup and returned to action. Concerns about the sense of the game were unfounded. Neymar, who showed off a sensuous heel pass in the first four minutes, heated up the stadium by showing off his sole skills. Fans reacted to Neymar’s dribbles and passes. I was able to see how much fun a ‘world class’ person can enjoy in a friendly match.메이저놀이터
Neymar, who scored the first goal with his right foot in the 41st minute of the first half, calmly connected Fabian Ruiz’s pass to an additional goal in the 38th minute of the second half. Neymar warmly hugged Lee Kang-in after scoring. Five minutes later, he helped Marco Asensio’s third goal with a sensational heel pass. “Neymar made the difference,” Petrescu said with a thumbs up at the opposing team’s player. Ahn Hyun-beom, who faced left striker Neymar in the right defensive position, said, “I felt the difference in the momentary movement.” Moon Seon-min, who wanted Neymar’s uniform but unfortunately failed to ‘get it’, said, “I had a rhythm unique to a Brazilian player. I couldn’t steal the ball easily.” Baek Seung-ho said, “He is a player who can change the game. Always amazing plays. I do,” he said, expressing his feelings about facing Neymar again after the 2022 Qatar World Cup round of 16.
Neymar also scored two goals in a friendly match in Korea last year. He showed his enjoyment of Korean culture, such as visiting an amusement park with his teammates from the Brazilian national team. Fans said “There was no show” “New national type” “Why are you so serious about Korea!” and so on.
After the game, Lee Kang-in ran around the track and greeted the fans one by one. Lee Kang-in said, “Thank you to the fans who came to the stadium a lot in hot weather. I will prove that Korean soccer has developed a lot and there are many good players.” The hot Coupang Play Series this year ended with the match between PSG and Jeonbuk. Team K League, Atletico Madrid, Man City and Atletico, an average of 55,536 spectators visited the three games up to this day, and radiated heat.