‘Lightning’ Lee Kwang-yeon (23, Gangwon FC) made his mark with a series of solid saves in front of goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke (61, Germany). He is on an ‘elite course’ and has raised his chances of being called up to the senior national team, if not immediately, then in the future.온라인카지노
Lee started and kept the goal for Ulsan Hyundai in the 26th round home match of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Gangneung Sports Complex on 12 December. For around 97 minutes, including extra time, he kept a clean sheet to secure the win.
On the day, Lee secured a ‘clean sheet’ against Ulsan, an offensively potent team that has been dominant this season and has scored the most goals in the K League (49). The goalkeeper was particularly solid in the second half, stopping a series of shots on target.
In particular, he made a crucial save in the 41st minute to keep Gangwon in the game. He almost conceded an own goal when Kang Ji-hoon cleared a cross from the front of the box, but he showed incredible reflexes to make the save. Then, when Uhm Won-sang charged at him, he stayed focused and made the save to avoid giving up a second ball.
Not only did he make the save, but he also loudly coordinated and encouraged his defensive line as his fellow defenders became distracted during Ulsan’s wave of attacks from start to finish of the second half. His performance was witnessed by Köpke’s goalkeeping coach.
Lee is a ‘promising’ goalkeeper who is on an ‘elite path’, having been named in the final squad for the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games next month after representing the U-20s. With the goalkeeping coach’s stamp of approval, he is likely to be called up to the senior national team in the future.
Coach Köpke, who is very good at selecting and developing players based on realistic evaluation criteria, is reported to have said that the goalkeeping position should be an “open competition”. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Lee could make the senior national team in the future.
Lee was benched at the start of this season before starting four games in a row in April. He then lost his place in the starting line-up again, but has been back in goal since last month. In 10 matches, including the FA Cup, he has conceded 12 goals and kept three ‘clean sheets’.