'Shooting star' Lee Kang-in scores multiple goals in Korea's 4-0 win over Tunisia to win second stra

Lee Kang-in (right) scores his second goal of the match in the 12th minute of the second half to give South Korea a 1-0 lead against Tunisia during their friendly A match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday.

South Korea's national soccer team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, won its second straight A-Match behind a one-man show from multi-goaler Lee Kang-in (22-Paris Saint-Germain).

South Korea cruised to a 4-0 victory over Tunisia in a friendly at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday. Klinsmann, who recorded his first win in six games with a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in Newcastle, England, on March 13, earned his second victory in as many days with his usual philosophy of attacking football. It was also South Korea's first victory at home since Klinsmann took over.

Lee Kang-in, the "shot-stopper," played a key role in the victory. With captain Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham) on the bench due to illness and Hwang In-beom (27, Zvezda) having to be rushed off with a thigh strain in the build-up to the match, Lee, who had been playing the 'freeroll' role that Son had taken over, began to fulfill his potential in the second half.

In the eighth minute of the second half, Lee drew a foul after breaking through on the right side of the penalty area, and two minutes later, he stepped up as a direct kicker and scored his A-Match debut with a left-footed free kick. In the 10th minute of the second half, Lee curled the ball with his left foot into the right post of the Tunisian goal. The opposing goalkeeper scrambled, but it was too late. It was Lee's debut goal in the A-Match, his 15th in the competition.

After scoring his first A-Match goal, Lee was like a fish out of water. In the 12th minute of the second half, Lee scored his first 'field goal'. After battling with an opposing defender in the right corner of the penalty area, Lee caught the loose ball, turned around with his back to goal, and fired a left-footed shot into the back of the net.

Lee Kang-in waves to fans after the match.

Lee Kang-in, who won a gold medal at the recently concluded Hangzhou Asian Games but went scoreless in five matches, made up for it with a multi-goal performance in the A-match six days after the Asian Games men's soccer final on Sunday.

Tunisia, ranked 29th in the FIFA rankings, is a formidable team, having won one game and drawn one at last year's World Cup in Qatar. Despite being knocked out in the group stage, they only dropped one point in three matches and were strong enough to beat runner-up France 1-0 in Qatar. However, they fell to Lee Kang-in on the day.

Kim Min-jae (right) wears the captain's armband and plays full-time in place of Heung-min.

Kim Min-jae (27-Bayern Munich), who wore the captain's armband in place of Son Heung-min, not only played solid defense but also had a hand in South Korea's third goal in the 22nd minute. On a corner kick, Lee Kang-in's ball from the right corner hit Kim Min-jae's head and cleared the net, but it was ruled an own goal as it hit a Tunisian defender's foot and went in.

In second-half stoppage time, Korea capped off the victory with a goal from substitute Hwang Eui-jo (31-Norwich City). Son Heung-min, who looked nervous at the start of the match, relaxed as the game wore on. Just before the end of the game, Son Heung-min's smiling face was shown on the stadium's electronic board, and the 59,918 fans at the stadium responded with a loud cheer.

After the game, the players walked around the field to greet the crowd, and Klinsmann took a photo with the coaching staff to celebrate the victory.

South Korea will next play Vietnam in their second A-Match friendly of October at 8 p.m. on Oct. 17 at Suwon World Cup Stadium. 19가이드03