Lee’s Impressive Premier League Debut

He got only nine minutes on the pitch. But his shot was impressive enough.

Lee Dong-gook (28, Middlesbrough F.C.) made his debut in the English Premier League in a match against Reading F.C. on February 25 at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough, replacing his teammate, attacker Aiyegbeni Yakubu, in the 85th minute when his team had a 2-0 lead. It was his first game in the Premiership since he joined the club 25 days ago on January 31.

In the third minute of the extra time after the second half, he struck a volley at the right side of the penalty area, receiving a cross from Stewart Downing from the left, as he was making up the forward line together with Mark Viduka. Bouncing once off the ground, the ball hit the right post and went wide of the goal line. A few minutes later, right before the referee called the end of the game, Lee dribbled the ball toward the penalty arc and took another middle-range shot. The ball missed the goal, but he made two shots in a short time and gained confidence.

Although many expected to see Lee and Seol Ki-hyeon (28, Reading F.C.) together on the pitch, this didn’t happen as Seol wasn’t given a chance to show off. Middlesbrough won a 2-1 victory. Sky Sports, a UK-based channel specializing in soccer, gave Lee a rating of seven points.

yjongk@donga.com