Lee Kang-in made an even bigger impact after switching positions, and it paid off for the home side.

Mallorca defeated Valencia 1-0 in the 36th round of the 2022-23 Spanish La Liga at the Estadi Vidit Mallorca in Mallorca, Spain, at 2.30am on 26 June. With the three points, Mallorca moves up to 11th in the league (47 points). Valencia is 13th (40 points), still two points above the relegation zone and 18th-placed Real Valladolid.메이저놀이터

Mallorca deployed a 3-4-3 formation on the day. Kadewere, Mourinho and Ndiaye lined up up front, with Lee, Dani, Baba and Maffeo in midfield. The back three was Kopeté, Hajikadunic and Valiente, with Raikovic in goal. Valencia countered with Duro, Lino, Lopez, Gaya, Paulista and Diakaby in the centre of defence.

Lee Kang-in started at left wing-back. It was an unfamiliar position for Lee, who usually plays as a central attacking midfielder or frontline striker. Nevertheless, Lee tried to create chances with his sharp kicks. However, the first half ended with Mallorca unable to create a decisive chance.

In the second half, Lee’s position changed. At the start of the second half, N’Diaye came off and Da Costa came on, and Lee started to play on the left flank or in attacking midfield. It was his natural position. Dressed in a fitted shirt, Lee began to make his presence felt.

Eventually, he was involved in the first goal. In the 19th minute of the second half, Da Costa’s pass found Lee, who sent in a sharp cross from the left flank. Mourinho, who was well positioned, rattled the net with a neat header. Lee played until the 38th minute before being substituted off. Mallorca held on for the three points thanks to the combined efforts of Lee and Mourinho.

Lee was on the pitch for 83 minutes, attempting three key passes, the most of any player on either side, and was sharp as a tack, completing all four of his dribbles for a 100 per cent success rate. Football statistics outlet FútbolScore.com gave him a rating of 7.9, the second-highest of any player on either side of the ball, and he was named La Liga’s official Man of the Match.

His impact exploded in the second half when he started playing in his original position. Coach Javier Aguirre admitted that playing Lee at wing-back in the first half was a mistake. He said after the game, “It was a mistake. We had a young player, Marcos Fernandez, but I thought it would be difficult to stop Valencia, so I put Lee on. The experiment didn’t work out.”

Spain’s El Des Marques also reported, “Lee started at left-back because of Mallorca’s injury situation. However, after Aguirre changed his position, Valencia’s future looked bleak. Lee put in an excellent performance and his crosses were enough to break down a sluggish Valencia side.”