Lee Kang-in (24) of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) returned from injury to contribute to his team's decisive victory. PSG dominated LOSC Lille from the first half, winning 4-1 and extending their unbeaten streak to 24 matches.

On the 2nd (Korea time), Lee Kang-in was substituted in during the 30th minute of the second half in the home match against Lille in the 24th round of the 2024-2025 season Ligue 1 at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, playing for 15 minutes. He returned after two matches following his injury and assessed his condition under the trust of head coach Luis Enrique.

With this victory, PSG secured 62 points, taking sole possession of first place. As the only unbeaten team in Europe's top five leagues, PSG has widened the gap to 16 points ahead of second-place Olympique Marseille, effectively cruising toward the league title.

In this match, PSG employed a 4-3-3 formation. Bradley Barcola, Gonçalo Hamus, and Ousmane Dembélé were positioned at the front, while João Neves, Fabian Ruiz, and Désiré Doué occupied the midfield. The defense was comprised of Nuno Mendes, Lucas Veríssimo, Marquinhos, and Achraf Hakimi, with Gianluigi Donnarumma guarding the goal.

PSG displayed overwhelming performance from the first half. Just six minutes into the match, Dembélé took a strong shot inside the box, and Barcola capitalized on the rebound from Chevalier to score the opening goal.

In the 22nd minute of the first half, Doué crossed from the left, and Marquinhos finished with a header to add the second goal. Shortly after, in the 28th minute, Dembélé cleanly finished after a pass from Hakimi and Neves, extending the score to 3-0.

PSG added another goal in the 37th minute of the first half. Dembélé intercepted a cleared ball and passed it to Doué, who rattled the Lille net with a powerful shot, making the halftime score 4-0.

During the first half, PSG attempted an impressive 17 shots, completely dominating Lille, which failed to record a single shot.

When the second half began, Lille made changes by substituting Gomes and Baker for Kylian Mbappé's brother, Ethan Mbappé, and Haraldsson, aiming to change the game. PSG also utilized their substitutions starting from the 17th minute of the second half, bringing off Hakimi, Mendes, Neves, and Dembélé, and introducing Zaire-Emery, Paris, Vitinha, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to manage players' fatigue.

In the 30th minute of the second half, PSG made their final substitution, taking Doué off and bringing Lee Kang-in on.

Lille managed to score a goal in the 35th minute of the second half. Ethan Mbappé crossed from outside the box, and Jonathan David finished it, making the score 4-1.

In the 38th minute of the second half, Barcola received Lee Kang-in's precise pass and connected with Hamus, but Hamus's shot was blocked by the defense. The game ended without additional scoring, concluding PSG's victory at 4-1.

With this victory, PSG recorded an unbeaten streak of 24 matches in the league (19 wins, 5 draws) and maintained their lead in Ligue 1. The gap to second-place Marseille was widened to 16 points, significantly boosting their chances of claiming the league title.

Head coach Luis Enrique has been evenly utilizing starters ahead of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Round of 16 first leg against English Premier League leader Liverpool on the 6th.

PSG's recent surge is impressive. Following a seven-game winning streak since February, they continued to showcase overwhelming performance in their first match in March, achieving eight consecutive wins across three competitions (Ligue 1, UCL, FA Cup).

Lee Kang-in was excluded from the squad in the FA Cup match against Brigio on the 27th of last month, raising concerns about his injury. However, he confirmed head coach Luis Enrique's trust by returning to the field in this match.

This season, Lee has recorded 6 goals and 5 assists in Ligue 1 alone, accumulating a total of 11 attacking points.

There is also a greater possibility that he will participate in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Oman and Jordan on March 20 and 25, respectively. The national team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, is expected to announce the final roster soon, and there is a high likelihood of Lee, who has recently regained his form, donning the national team jersey again.

As Lee Kang-in returns amid PSG's upward trend, attention is focused on what contributions he will make moving forward.

[OSEN = Reporter Jung Seung-woo]