Lee Kang-in's Missed Chance as Atlético Faces Defeat in Bilbao
Atlético Madrid walked out of San Mamés with a 0–3 defeat and more questions than answers, on a night that briefly promised something very different for Lee Kang-in.
The South Korean midfielder started for Atlético in the fourth round of the Spanish league and, for a while, looked like one of the few visiting players capable of unsettling Athletic Bilbao. He lasted until the 58th minute, his influence fading as the home side seized control.
Early spark, cruel bounce
Atlético actually began with intent. Twice in the first half they rattled the woodwork, Lee coming closest when he drove a right-footed effort past the goalkeeper only to see it cannon off the post. It was the kind of moment that can tilt a game. This one didn’t.
Spanish outlet El Desmarque highlighted that early burst from Lee, praising his active start and his composure on the ball in the move that led to his shot against the post. But as the match wore on and Atlético lost their grip, his impact waned. The final verdict: a rating of 5.
The pattern mirrored Atlético’s night. Promise, then punishment.
Defensive errors and a brutal second half
After the interval, the match turned sharply against the visitors. Atlético conceded three times, undone by a string of defensive mistakes that opened the door for Athletic Bilbao and shattered any platform built in the first 45 minutes.
The source described those errors as central to the way the game slipped away. Atlético never recovered. By the time Lee was substituted just before the hour, the tide had already swung decisively towards the Basque side.
Mixed verdicts in Atlético’s report card
El Desmarque’s player ratings underlined the uneven performance across the Atlético XI.
At the top end, Marc Pubill, Morten Hjulmand, Pablo Barrios and Álex Baena all received 6. Pubill was credited for his defensive work in the first half, Hjulmand and Barrios for steady, consistent shifts in midfield, and Baena for his willingness to shoot and try to generate danger around the box.
The other end of the scale painted a harsher picture. Jan Oblak and Álex Grimaldo were both handed a 3. Oblak, according to the ratings, did not register a single save. Grimaldo struggled badly in his duel with Robert Navarro and never found a way to contain him.
Ademola Lookman and Giuliano Simeone also came away with 3s, while Marcos Llorente was given a 4 after a subdued display that never quite caught fire.
Lee’s 5 put him in the middle tier, alongside Cristian Romero and Julián Álvarez. Romero, making his Atlético debut after coming on as a substitute, and Álvarez both drew the same score, their contributions noted but not enough to alter the outcome.
A night of small individual positives, then, buried beneath a heavy defeat. For Lee Kang-in and Atlético, the question now is simple: was this just a bad night in Bilbao, or the first warning sign of deeper problems in their season?
