Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in scored a brace as the two-time champions South Korea beat Bahrain 3-1 in the first round of Group E at the AFC Asian Cup here on Monday.
South Korea broke the deadlock by Hwang In-beom in the 38th minute, but Bahrain fought back to equalize in the 51st minute when Abdullah Al Hashash scored from close range, reported Xinhua.
Lee Kang-in shone in the second half as the 22-year-old midfielder scored in the 56th and 68th minute respectively.
“It’s not just about my two goals. All the goals we score are very important for the team. I would just like to say and highlight that it is not about individual performance,” Lee said after the match.
Also on Monday, Jordan hammered Malaysia 4-0 to lead Group E, after Mahmoud Al Mardi and Mousa Tamari scored twice respectively. Iraq outplayed Indonesia 3-1 in Group D.