SEOUL, With each goal he scores, memories of Lee Kang-in’s involvement in in-house fighting four months ago are fading.

Given the lovefest for Lee at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Tuesday, after the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder scored the lone goal in South Korea’s 1-0 win over China in a World Cup qualifying match, it’s difficult to believe the 23-year-old was the poster boy for everything wrong with South Korean football not so long ago.

In February, South Korea suffered a 2-0 loss to Jordan in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, as their dreams of winning the first Asian crown since 1960 crashed and burned.

In a gut punch to the already-mad fan base, it was later revealed that Lee had been in a scuffle with beloved captain Son Heung-min on the eve of the semifinals in Qatar — over a game of table tennis. Son suffered a dislocated finger in the incident and played the next night with the injured hand taped.

Lee quickly went from a hugely popular player who could do
no wrong to a disruptor of team chemistry before a crucial match.

Lee apologized through social media and in front of cameras at home, and also visited Son in London to make up.

And then came tangible signs that the two players had put their incident behind them. In their second match together after the incident, a World Cup qualifying match against Thailand on March 26, Lee assisted on Son’s goal in a 3-0 win.

Last Thursday, Lee and Son each scored two goals in South Korea’s 7-0 rout of Singapore.

Then Tuesday night, before nearly 65,000 fans, it was Son’s foray into the box that led to Lee’s goal in the 61st minute, with the PSG midfielder pouncing on the loose ball following Son’s initial attempt.

After the ball found the back of the net, Lee jumped straight into the outstretched arms of Son in celebration. After other teammates had their turn congratulating Lee, Son and Lee shared another moment for themselves, with the captain embracing his teammate and patting him on the head.

“Honestly, I don’t r
eally remember what happened after the goal. I was so excited,” Lee said. “All of my teammates were so happy for me. But more than my goal, I am just happy that we won the match.”

Before Lee’s goal, South Korea had difficulty breaking through China’s dogged defense. They needed at least a draw to advance to the next round in the qualification without needing help, while South Korea had already taken care of that business before Tuesday.

“I expected them to be defensive, but I didn’t think they would be this tight,” Lee said. “They did their best, and I respect them.”

Lee now has 10 goals in 29 matches. All 10 goals have been scored in the last 15 matches, an impressive rate for a player known more for playmaking chops than scoring prowess.

That stretch began with a brace against Tunisia in a friendly on Oct. 13 last year. Since then, only one South Korean player has scored more than Lee, and that happens to be Son with 11.

Source: Yonhap News Agency