Lee Kang-in subbed off again as Atlético Madrid find form late against Real Sociedad for 3-0 win

Atlético Madrid midfielder Lee Kang-in was taken off around the hour mark for the third consecutive match as his side beat Real Sociedad 3-0 on Sunday.

Lee started Atlético’s away fixture against La Real on matchday five of the La Liga season in San Sebastián, Spain, lining up on the right flank.

He threatened early in the fifth minute as he cut inside from the right before sending a left-footed shot just wide of the near post. In the 24th minute, he curled a sharp left-footed cross into the box from the right, but Morten Hjulmand’s header drifted just wide.

Despite the occasional flash of brilliance, Lee struggled to make his mark.

Manager Diego Simeone responded to the scoreless stalemate with a triple substitution in the 60th minute. He took off Lee, Álex Baena and Marcos Llorente and sent on Jonathan David, Koke and Johnny Cardoso.

Real Sociedad’s Japanese playmaker, Takefusa Kubo, who had a loan stint at Mallorca when Lee was there, came on in the 72nd minute, but Lee’s earlier departure denied the longtime friends a chance to reunite on the pitch.

The game swung decisively in Atlético's favor late on. The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 82nd minute after a free kick bounced inside the box and struck Job Ochieng’s arm. Alejandro Grimaldo stepped up and calmly rolled his left-footed penalty into the net.

David doubled the lead in the 90th minute, finishing with his left foot after a Grimaldo pass sliced across the defense on the edge of the penalty area to set him up. Five minutes into stoppage time, Giuliano Simeone, the son of the Atlético gaffer, burst between defenders on a counterattack and scored to seal the 3-0 victory.

The win lifted Atlético to fourth place with 10 points from three wins, one draw and one loss.

Football statistics platform FotMob gave Lee a rating of 6.4 — the lowest among Atlético's starters. Lee recorded 34 touches and created one chance but lost possession three times.

“If the game had ended with a different result, people would have asked why I took out Álex Baena and Kang-in Lee,” said Simeone after the match, as quoted by the club-focused outlet Into The Calderon. “Real Sociedad did a great job of pressuring the combination play that Álex Baena and Kang-in Lee could create, especially when they were playing with their backs to goal and that obviously caused us to be pinned back and lack depth in the first half.”

Simeone noted that substitutions added intensity in midfield and more strength to maintain their attacking rhythm and depth.

Lee has gone three games without a goal contribution since recording an assist against Sevilla on Aug. 30. He has one goal and one assist so far this season.