DOHA: Lee Kang-in’s second half goals helped South Korea beat Bahrain 3-1 in the AFC Asian Cup Group E match here at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium today.
Hwang In-beom gave Jurgen Klinsmann’s side a 38th minute lead but, after Abdulla Al Hashash had levelled the scores six minutes into the second half, Lee Kang-in struck twice in 13 minutes to seal the points for the two-time AFC Asian Cup champions.
The 22-year-old’s first was an exquisite strike from 25 yards in the 56th minute and he sealed the win with 21 minutes remaining, stroking a clinical finish into the bottom corner of Ebrahim Lutfalla’s goal.
The victory was comfortable in the end for Klinsmann’s side but the Bahrainis had given the German’s team an early warning when Mohamed Marhoon headed Komail Al Aswad’s free-kick over the crossbar.
Korea Republic went close on the half-hour mark with Cho Gue-sung blasting over the bar while Bahrain almost delivered the opener in the 33rd minute as Ali Madan latched onto Al Hashash’s perfectly weighted through ball, but his shot seared marginally off target.
