Lee Kang-In played well on his debut but couldn’t lead his team to victory. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) came away with just one point in a goalless draw in their opening match.
PSG played out a goalless 0-0 draw to open the 2023/24 French Ligue 1 season against FC Lorient at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France, on Wednesday (Aug. 13).
In Luis Enrique’s first official game in charge, PSG struggled to find their feet as the team was still not fully organized and could not get a win on debut. Six players made their PSG debuts, including Lee Kang-in.
PSG lined up in a 4-3-3. Gianluigi Donnarumma was in goal, while Luca Hernandez, Danilo Pereira, Milan Skriniar, and Ashraf Hakimi made up the back four. Vitinha, Manuel Ugarte, and Warren Zaire-Emery defended the midfield, while Lee Kang-in, Gonzalo Hamus, and Marco Asensio completed the front three.
Lorient lined up 5-4-1, with Yvonne Mbogo in goal and Vincent Le Goff, Montassar Talbi, Julien Laporte, Bamo Meite, and Jaden Kalulu forming a back five. Theo Le Brice, Jean-Victor Makengo, Laurent Aubergé, and Romain Fabregas lined up in midfield, with Bamba Dieng in front of the PSG goal.
In the seventh minute, PSG’s new front three worked well together to create a good attacking opportunity. Lee Kang-in was the focal point of the attack, and the fans were excited to see what he could do.
After breaking free from pressure with a long, fluid dribble down the right flank, Lee passed the ball to Asensio, who was right in front of the Lorient penalty box. Asensio immediately passed to Hamus, who was also in the box, and as soon as he received the pass, Hamus unleashed a left-footed curling shot.
Hamus’s sharp shot was saved by Mbogo, who stretched out to make the save. Despite the lack of goals, the PSG freshman trio showed some good chemistry in the front line, which helped lift the tone of the game.
After some good dribbling runs, Lee fired his first shot of the night in the 15th minute. Dribbling inside from the left, Lee beat one defender who tried to stop him with a sliding tackle just outside the box before curling a left-footed mid-range shot.
Lee’s first shot against Lorient was unfortunately not on target. Lorient captain Aberzell threw himself in front of the ball and blocked Lee’s shot with his legs.
In the 35th minute, Lee sent a left-footed cross into the box. He saw Hammus in front of the goal, but his cross was headed behind Hammus, and he couldn’t get a shot off. At this point, Hammers lifted his back foot to try and get a foot on the cross, but it wasn’t enough.
Lorient, who had kept PSG’s attack tight in their back five, had a crucial chance to take the lead on the counter-attack in the 41st minute. After winning the ball under intense forward pressure, Aubergel went straight to the front of the box and attempted a mid-range right-footed shot.
Aberzel’s shot, aimed at the low right-hand side of the goal, was not on target, but it hit the post and crossed the line, sending chills down PSG’s spine.
One minute of first-half stoppage time was allotted, and with the short first-half added time over, the PSG-Lorient match went into halftime scoreless at 0-0.
After the start of the second half, Lee continued to be active. In the first minute of the second half, Lee picked up a ball in the box that was cleared off the line by a Lorient defender and took a right-footed shot, but his second shot of the night was off target as it hit a defender’s foot and went over the bar.
From the ensuing PSG corner, Lee stepped up to take the kick, which was met by Hamuth, but he was unable to get his head to the ball, sending it over the bar.
PSG was unable to break through Lorient’s stifling defense. In the 36th minute, substitute midfielder Fabian Luis had a crucial chance to open the scoring but was denied by the goalkeeper.
An Ugarte penetrating pass into the box was picked up by Carlos Soler, who crossed the ball to a surging Luiz in the center of the box just before the ball cleared the goal line. However, Luiz’s rebound was also blocked by the Lorient defense, keeping the score at 0-0.
In the 37th minute of the second half, PSG made a substitution, removing Lee Kang-in and bringing on French striker Hugo Ekitiqe. In his official debut for PSG, Lee played 82 minutes, and while he failed to register an attacking point, he did manage to put in a solid performance.
On the day, Lee completed 88% of his passes (52/59), created one chance, took three shots, and had a 75% success rate off the dribble (3/4), making it a successful PSG debut.
PSG took Lee off, but couldn’t find much of an offense afterward. Despite five minutes of second-half stoppage time, they were unable to find the back of the net and had to settle for a 0-0 draw to open the campaign with a point.
Lee made his official debut for PSG on the day, starting as a left winger in the front three. After shining in the Spanish La Liga with RCD Mallorca Aces last season, Lee completed a move to PSG this summer to join one of the best clubs in the world. Along with himself, he was joined by Benfica’s Hammus and former Real Madrid winger Asensio, who also joined PSG this summer, in an attacking lineup against Lorient.
Lee’s performance left many excited for what’s to come, but there were a few moments of disappointment as his new teammates didn’t quite gel.
Meanwhile, PSG were missing Kylian Mbappe and Neymar on the day. Leading up to the game, PSG made a notable move by leaving both of their biggest stars, Mbappe and Neymar, off the starting and substitute rosters. Both players were on PSG’s release list this summer and did not feature in the opening game.
Mbappe, whose contract expires in June 2024, has been under intense pressure from PSG after refusing to extend his contract with the club. He has been excluded from the roster for the Asian tour, banned from the first-team training ground and left out of the opening game despite being the top scorer in Ligue 1 last season. Neymar was also left out of the Lorient squad as he pushed for a move back to his hometown club Barcelona ahead of the opener.카지노사이트
Marco Verratti, who has been a key midfielder for PSG, was also left off the roster amid transfer speculation. French winger Ousmane Dembele, recently acquired from Barcelona, watched the game from the stands alongside Mbappe.
Without key players like Neymar and Mbappe, who have been the mainstays of their attack, and with a number of new signings, PSG were unable to get off to a winning start.