Lee Kang-in (25) put in an active display on his competitive starting debut for Atletico Madrid in Spain's La Liga, leading the team in shots but ultimately failing to register a goal or assist. The team had to settle for a draw after conceding two goals, both from penalty kicks.
Atletico Madrid drew 2-2 with Villarreal in a home match in the second round of the 2026-2027 La Liga season, held at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, on the 24th (Korea time).
Atletico Madrid, which had cruised to a 2-0 win over Malaga in its season opener on the 20th, was seeking a second straight win but fell short.
Making his first competitive start since his transfer, Lee roamed all over the pitch during his 66 minutes on the field before being substituted for Pablo Barrios in the 66th minute, recording a team-high six shots but narrowly failing to register any attacking points.
Playing as one of two strikers alongside Lookman, Lee aggressively fired off shots in search of a goal. He recorded four shots in the first half alone but remained far from finding the net.
Less than a minute into the match, Lee received the ball on the right side of the penalty box and immediately attempted a shot, which sailed well wide of the goal.
In the 15th minute, he threaded a sharp through ball to Giuliano Simeone inside the penalty box. Simeone turned and fired a shot, but it deflected off an opposing defender.
In the 34th minute, Lee broke into the penalty box, received a pass and immediately attempted a left-footed shot, which again went wide.
Lee remained aggressive on attack in the second half as well. He fired off shots in the fourth and ninth minutes of the second half in succession, but both were blocked by the defense.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, went ahead through goals from Marc Pubill and Giuliano Simeone after the break but was pegged back by two penalty-kick goals from Villarreal and had to settle for a draw.
Football statistics site WhoScored gave Lee a solid rating of 6.83. For Atletico, Simeone, who assisted Pubill's opener and scored the late equalizer, earned the highest rating at 7.72.
Atletico Madrid will play its third-round La Liga away match against Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan in Sevilla on the 30th.
