Lee Kang-in, who had raised concerns over an ankle injury, returned to his club Atletico Madrid (Spain) and made a substitute appearance, contributing to the team's fourth consecutive victory.

Atletico Madrid secured a 2-1 away win against Deportivo Alaves in the 8th round of the 2026-2027 La Liga season held at the Estadio de Mendizorrotza in Vitoria, Spain, on the 11th (KST).

Extending their winning streak to four games with this victory, Atletico accumulated 19 points to maintain second place in the league behind FC Barcelona.

Lee, who had complained of minor discomfort in his ankle after finishing the match against Uzbekistan—the final fixture of the recent four-match international break—started the game on the bench to avoid overexertion.

He was later substituted in for Pablo Barrios in the 12th minute of the second half, covering the pitch for about 33 minutes until the end of the match.

This marks the first time in seven matches that Lee has been left out of the starting lineup in an official game, following the opening match of the season against Malaga in the 1st round.

While Lee waited on the bench, Atletico took an early lead in the 33rd minute of the first half with a opening goal by Alex Grimaldo.

Grimaldo unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area, which pierced straight through the center of the goal.

However, while maintaining their momentum, Atletico faced a crisis in stoppage time of the first half when Robin Le Normand committed a foul inside the penalty area, conceding a penalty kick.

Alaves' Lucas Boye stepped up as the kicker and calmly converted the equalizer, ending the first half at 1-1.

In a tight second half where additional goals were hard to come by, Lee stepped onto the pitch overcoming his injury and injected energy into the team's stagnant offense with lively movement.

Continuing to knock on the door, Atletico finally succeeded in breaking the deadlock in the 42nd minute of the second half.

Cristian Romero precisely finished off a sharp cross delivered by substitute Alex Baena, scoring a dramatic winning goal.

In the end, Atletico successfully shut down Alaves' counterattacks for the remainder of the match, wrapping up a 2-1 victory.

(Photo: Getty Images)