South Korea vs Bahrain final score, result, highlights as PSG star Lee Kang-in hits two in AFC Asian Cup opener

Brad Cox

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South Korea vs Bahrain final score, result, highlights as PSG star Lee Kang-in hits two in AFC Asian Cup opener image

South Korea began their 2023 Asian Cup campaign with a clinical performance in the second half against Bahrain as they came away with a 3-1 victory.

The standout player for the pre-tournament favourites was Lee Kang-in from Paris Saint-Germain, who showcased his prowess by scoring two exceptional goals. The first was a moment of brilliance as Lee's sensational strike curled into the back of the net from outside the box. He left Bahrain's goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla helpless.

Lee's second goal was the result of an impressive counter-press led by Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min. The Spurs forward pinched the ball off the Bahrain defender and switched the play before Lee composed himself to bag his second.

Although Jurgen Klinsmann's side held the lead at halftime, Bahrain managed to level the score moments into the second half. A stroke of luck led to a rebound falling into the path of Abdullah Al Hashash, who hit a composed first-time effort and beat South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.

Despite the setback, South Korea's ability was far superior to Bahrain and it showed in the later stages of the half, allowing them to cruise to victory.

MORE: Asian Cup 2023 fixtures

South Korea vs Bahrain final score

  Final score Goalscorers
South Korea 3 Hwang 39', Lee 56', 69'
Bahrain 1 Hashash 51'

South Korea vs Bahrain live updates, highlights from Asian Cup 2023

FT: That's it and South Korea get their campaign underway with a victory!

94th minute: Son is booked for diving. That is blatant and incredibly embarrassing.

90th minute: There will be eight minutes of added time. Bahrain haven't looked like scoring in the latter stages of this match.

85th minute: Son is on the receiving end of a painful elbow. He's back on his feet, to many Spurs fans' delight.

80th minute: Mahdy Baqer rises highest to meet the ball with his head in the box from a free-kick but was offside. His effort was straight at the Korea Republic goalkeeper.

74th minute: Huge chance for Son but his effort hits the side netting. Fortunately for him, he was offside. The whole stadium expected the net to bulge.

69th minute: GOAL! 3-1! Lee doubles his goal tally and with that extends Korea's lead to two. It was a composed finish from the Korean.

63rd minute: Lee and Marhoon clash in the middle of the pitch leaving them both seeking treatment as their knees collided. It looked a painful one but they're both okay to carry on.

59th minute: Lutfalla denies Son with a huge save. The Spurs forward generated some power from his weak foot but the Bahrain keeper stepped up to the challenge. 

56th minute: GOAL! 2-1! Kang-In Lee curls home with a sensational strike. The PSG forward gave Lutfalla no hope of making the save. 

53rd minute: Gue-Sung Cho almost puts Korea back in the lead but he can't quite direct his effort goalwards. It was a brilliant chance for Klinsmann's side. 

51st minute: GOAL! 1-1! We said they looked like scoring and they have! Al Hashash pokes home after a rebound fell very kindly for the Bahrain forward. It was some messy defending Korea. 

50th minute: Kamil Al-Aswad's strike is deflected and forces Seung-Gyu Kim into making a good save.

46th minute: We're back underway at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

HT: That's all for the first-half action and while Korea have been on top, Bahrain have had some great chances and will be disappointed to go into the break a goal behind. 

45th minute: Moses is booked after a blatant handball on the halfway line. 

44th minute: Kang-In Lee tries his luck from the edge of the box but his free-kick is just too high and fails to test the goalkeeper. 

38th minute: GOAL! 1-0! Korea lead thanks to a fine finish from In-Beom Hwang. Bahrain fell asleep for a moment at the back and Jurgen Klinsmann's side took full advantage. 

34th minute: Bahrain really should have taken the lead! Abdullah Al Hashash finds Madan beautifully but the midfielder lacks composure in the box on his weaker foot and blasts over the bar. 

28th minute: Lee is the third Korean to go into the referee's book. Another yellow card for preventing a Bahrain counter. 

24th minute: Ali Madan's left-footed shot is blocked after a good cross by Hazaa Ali. Bahrain are no pushovers in this one. 

19th minute: It's been a relatively slow start for Korea but they're increasing the intensity now and have been getting themselves into some good areas. 

12th minute: Bahrain are looking dangerous on the counter and Korea can't quite handle them in the midfield so far. Min-Jae receives a yellow card for preventing an attack.

7th minute: CHANCE! Marhoon really should have scored there for Bahrain, he was left unmarked in the box and heads over the bar. 

5th minute: South Korea have been dominant in possession to begin the match, as expected.

1st minute: We're underway in Qatar!

15 minutes until kickoff: It's nearly time for kickoff at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

30 minutes until kickoff: We have team news! Bahrain set up in a 4-3-3: Lutfallah; Benaddi, Adel, Ali, Al Hayam; Atede, Marhoon, Al Hardan; Al Hashash, Al Aswad, Madan.

South Korea's starting lineup is below:

1 hour until kickoff: Bahrain come into this one on the back of three straight defeats and have failed to score in each. South Korea on the other hand are second-favourites to lift the trophy. 

1 hour 30 mins until kickoff: Heung-min Son has 17 goal contributions in 20 Premier League games this season (12 goals, 5 assists), can he be the main man his nation expects him to be this tournament?

2 hours until kickoff: South Korea have plenty of talent at this tournament; today, we find out if they live up to the hype.

South Korea vs Bahrain lineups

Son Heung-min is expected to start up top with for the Reds. Lee Kang-in will not be suspended for this match, despite a red card in their 1-0 friendly win over Iraq. He is expected to start although Kim Jin-su is a doubt at left-back due to injury.

South Korea starting lineup (4-4-2, left to right): S. Kim (GK) — Seol, Jung, M. Kim, K. Lee — I. Lee, Hwang, Park, J. Lee — Son, Cho.

South Korea subs (12): To be confirmed

The main injury concern for Bahrain is that Ahmed Bughammar has a back injury and Salem Hussain could look at alternative options. 

Bahrain starting lineup (4-1-4-1, left to right): Lutfallah (GK) — Benaddi, Adel, Ali, Al Hayam — Atede, Marhoon, Al Hardan — Al Hashash, Al Aswad, Madan.

Bahrain subs (12): Fardan, Baqer, Helal, Al Khatal, Isa, Al Shaikh, Al Humaidan, Jaafar, Al Khalassy, Khelaif, Al Wali, Al Eker.

How to watch 2023 AFC Asian Cup: TV channel, live stream

Here's how to watch 2023 AFC Asian Cup matches across selected areas of the world's major regions:

Region TV Streaming
USA — Fubo, Paramount+
Canada —

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UK — TrillerTV
Australia 10 Play Paramount+
India — FanCode

USA: AFC Asian Cup matches will be available for live streaming via Paramount+ and Fubo.

UK: Asian Cup matches will be shown on subscription streaming service TrillerTV.

Australia: Paramount+ will provide streaming services for the tournament and 10 Play will broadcast Australia's matches.

India: Streaming service FanCode is the place to go for AFC Asian Cup matches.

Brad Cox

Brad Cox Photo

Brad is a content producer for The Sporting News and has previously worked for the likes of Squawka and The Athletic. His career highlight to date is reporting from the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final in Paris.