Lee Kang-in (AFP-Yonhap)
Lee Kang-in (AFP-Yonhap)

South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in started and played 67 minutes as Atletico Madrid extended its winning streak to seven matches and moved into first place in La Liga.

Lee started on the right side of a 4-4-2 formation in Atletico’s 2-0 road win over Levante at Estadio Ciudad de Valencia on Saturday.

The victory gave Atletico 28 points from nine wins, one draw and one loss, moving the club past Barcelona and into the top spot.

Lee has appeared in 13 of Atletico’s 14 matches in all competitions this season.

In La Liga, he has played in all 11 matches, starting nine, with two goals and one assist.

Lee recorded two shots Saturday but did not add to his goal contributions.

His left-footed attempt from outside the penalty area in the 25th minute was blocked by a defender. In the 55th, another left-footed shot from distance struck the post.

According to soccer statistics site FotMob, Lee completed 31 of 34 passes for a 91 percent success rate and connected on all three of his long-pass attempts.

He was less effective in other areas, completing one of six dribbles and winning two of 12 ground duels. FotMob gave him a 6.4 rating, the lowest among Atletico’s starters.

Atletico took the lead in the 32nd minute when Alejandro Grimaldo fired a left-footed shot into the upper left corner from the left side of the penalty area.

Giuliano Simeone doubled the lead in the 62nd after receiving a through ball from Alex Baena and finishing with his left foot from the center of the box.

Lee is scheduled to face Bayern Munich, featuring South Korea defender Kim Min-jae, in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)