Shandong Taishan defeated Kawasaki Frontale 4-2 in the second stage of the second leg of the AFC Champions League (AFC) 1/8 finals, eliminating their opponents 6-5 on aggregate to reach the AFC Champions League (AFC) last 8 for the third time, tying the best record in the team's history, in a key match that ended on Feb. 20, Beijing time.
In this match, Taesan promoted two ace foreigners, Cressan and Jadson, but 30-year-old local midfielder Lee Won-yi also performed well. In this game, Lee Won-yi continued to be emphasized by Choi Kang-hee. Just eight minutes into the match, Lee Won-yi made a successful steal in front of the goal and then carried the ball into the Kawasaki Strikers' penalty area to help Kressan break the deadlock with ease.
After that, Li Yuanyi's performance remained outstanding. In the third minute of extra time, Li Yuanyi almost helped Taishan win early. At that time, he took a direct shot from the top of the penalty area without stopping the ball. The shot was strong. After the line change, he almost jumped into Kawasaki's goal. South Korea's former national goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong flew to the rescue and solved the crisis. If not for the courage of Jung Sung-ryong, Lee Won-yi might have helped Taishan create a miracle four minutes earlier.
In the authoritative foreign media sofascore's post-game rating, Li Yuanyi got 7.6 points, second only to Cressan and Jadson. Many netizens also praised Li Yuanyi: "China Modric": "currently China's strongest midfielder": "Why this level can not go to the Asian Cup?"
So far, Lee Won-yi has contributed 3 goals and 7 assists in 36 games and 29 starts for Taishan. Those are pretty bright numbers for a midfielder. Unfortunately, he couldn't make the national team.
In the previous Asian Cup, Lee Won, who was a very loud voice, was not selected. The national soccer team's weak midfielders were also a key reason for the Asian Cup group stage loss. Imagine if Sample Kovic could have summoned Li Yuanyi, who can run, tirelessly, the Chinese men's soccer team might have actually avoided the embarrassment of creating the worst record in the history of the Asian Cup.
