South Korea’s Baek Seung-ho and Lee Kang-in talk during a free kick situation during the men’s football
quarterfinal match between South Korea and Uzbekistan at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at
Huanglong Sports Center Stadium on Thursday afternoon in Hangzhou, China.
The “youngest” member of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games soccer team, Lee Kang-in (21-Paris Saint-
Germain), has sent a message of support to faltering captain Baek Seung-ho (26-North Korea).
On June 6, Lee posted a photo of himself and Baek Seung-ho on his social media account and tagged
Baek Seung-ho with the words “captain” and emojis of a fist hive and heart. The messages are not long
, but they are all expressions of support for Baek Seung Ho.
The Hangzhou captain has been in a bit of a slump lately. He joined the team as a wildcard and has been
performing well as a captain and key midfielder, but he has also been criticized for a few mistakes.
He was particularly unlucky against Uzbekistan, where he was involved in the defense and conceded a
free kick in a dangerous area, and the opponent’s free kick deflected off Baek Seung-ho to concede a goal.
After the quarterfinal match against Uzbekistan, Baek Seung-ho expressed his frustration, saying, “You
keep telling me that I make a lot of mistakes, but I want to ask you what I should do in reverse.”
PSG’s Lee Kang-in
Greets Jeonbuk’s Baek Seung-ho after the third leg of the Coupang Play Series match between Jeonbuk
Hyundai and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Busan Asiad Stadium in Yeonje-gu, Busan, on Wednesday afternoon.
Baek Seung-ho, who is leading the team with a lot of motivation, is feeling disappointed with himself and upset with those around him.
That’s why Lee Kang-in singled him out on social media. Lee was the youngest member of the national
team at the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup, but he was nicknamed the “youngest brother” because he led the
entire team and encouraged those around him.
While there are some youngsters in the squad, including Lee Han-beom (20-Mitwillan) and Hwang Jae-
won (20-Daegu), Lee Kang-in is one of the youngest. Lee Kang-in expressed his confidence in his older
brother, Baek Seung-ho, who will be under a lot of pressure ahead of the crucial final.
Lee and Baek Seung-ho have been playing together for the national team and age-group squads. They
even met as opponents in a friendly match between PSG and Jeonbuk Hyundai in August and shared a big hug.
Meanwhile, South Korea, led by Lee Kang-in and Baek Seung-ho, will take on Japan in the tournament
final at 9 p.m. on July 7 at Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium. South Korea will be aiming for a third
consecutive gold medal after winning in Incheon in 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang in 2018. 19가이드03