Atlético Madrid Falls to Athletic Bilbao: Lee Kang-in's Near Miss

Atlético Madrid walked out of San Mamés with a 0–3 defeat and more questions than answers, on a night when even their brightest early moment – a strike from Lee Kang-in – ended with the ball crashing off the post.

The South Korean international started for Atlético in this fourth-round La Liga clash and looked sharp in the opening exchanges. Drifting into pockets of space, demanding the ball, he produced the visitors’ clearest chance of the first half when his right-footed effort beat the goalkeeper but not the woodwork.

It wasn’t an isolated warning. Atlético hit the frame of the goal twice before the break, hinting at a contest that might tilt their way if they could tighten up at the back and keep their nerve.

They did neither.

Second-half collapse

After the interval, the game turned brutally against the Madrid side. Three goals conceded, the defence repeatedly exposed, and individual errors piling up into a full-blown collapse. What had been a balanced, if frustrating, first half for Atlético turned into a one-sided beating once Athletic Bilbao found their rhythm and exploited the gaps.

Lee’s influence faded with the team’s. Where he had been busy and incisive early on, his touches grew rarer as Atlético lost control of midfield and struggled to build coherent attacks. He was withdrawn in the 58th minute, his evening reduced to that single agonising moment off the post.

Spanish outlet El Desmarque handed him a rating of 5, noting his energetic start and composure on the ball in the move that led to his near miss, but underlining that his impact diminished as the match slipped away from Atlético.

Mixed report card for Atlético

El Desmarque’s ratings painted a stark picture of a side split between a handful of steady performers and several players badly off their level.

The highest marks in the Atlético camp – 6 out of 10 – went to Marc Pubill, Morten Hjulmand, Pablo Barrios and Álex Baena. Pubill was highlighted for his defensive work in the first half, Hjulmand and Barrios for maintaining a degree of stability in midfield, and Baena for at least trying to trouble the Bilbao goal with his shooting.

At the other end of the scale, Jan Oblak and Álex Grimaldo received just 3. Oblak, according to the rating, failed to make a single save on the night, a brutal statistic in a three-goal defeat. Grimaldo endured a torrid time in his duel with Robert Navarro, repeatedly struggling to contain the threat on his flank.

Ademola Lookman and Giuliano Simeone were also given 3, their contributions judged well below the standard Atlético require. Marcos Llorente fared slightly better with a 4, but it was still a muted performance from a player often relied upon to inject energy and drive.

Lee Kang-in, despite that early spark, was grouped in the middle ground with a 5, alongside Cristian Romero – making his Atlético debut off the bench – and Julián Álvarez. Competent in phases, but not influential enough to change the direction of a match that ran away from them.

For Atlético, the scoreline, the woodwork, and the ratings all tell the same story: if nights like this in Bilbao continue, this season’s ambitions will shrink fast.