Lee Jin-hyun’s return to the European stage ended with a bang. The team, which was in the relegation zone all season, managed to stay up.
Lee’s Pushcha Niepławomice defeated Piast Gliwice 1-0 in the 34th round of the Polish Extraclasa at the Marshal Józef Piłsudski Stadium in Kraków, Poland, at 0:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. With the win, Niepławomice ends the season in 12th place in the league with 9 wins, 13 draws, and 12 losses (40 points).
Once again, Jin Hyun Lee got the start. Playing as a left wing-forward, he threatened the opposition goal. He played the full match with 42 touches of the ball, 67% passing success rate, 2 crosses (2 successful), 6 contested balls (4 successful), 4 aerial balls (4 successful), 1 foul, 1 clear, 1 interception, and 3 tackles. According to soccer statistician Sofa Score, Lee has a 7.3 rating, the third highest on the team.
The match marked the end of Lee’s first season in Europe. Lee started playing soccer at Pochuldongcho, an elementary school affiliated with the Pohang Steelers, and went on to play at Pohang Steel Middle School, Pohang Steel High School, and Sungkyunkwan University.
His first professional team was in Austria, not Korea. After showing promise in his middle school years and performing at the 2017 U-20 World Cup, he moved to KF Austria Wien. At the time, Lee scored one goal in 20 appearances in all competitions, but he was unable to compete for a starting spot and returned to Pohang after one season.
He returned to the K League in 2018 and made a name for himself by helping Korea win gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Jakarta. He then 토토 played for Daegu FC before joining Daejeon in the 2021 season. He became an ace in the team’s promotion to the K League 1 in the 2022 season.
They aimed to return to Europe. After the season, he was strongly linked to Polish side Legia Warsaw, but the move fell through and he re-signed with Daejeon, where he played for one more season. In three seasons in the K League, Lee scored eight goals and provided 13 assists in 78 games.
This year, he sought a new challenge in Europe, joining Polish first division side Pushcha Niepowomice. His contract runs until June 2025. Last season, Pushcha Niepowomice won promotion to the Polish top flight (Extraklasa) for the first time in its 100-year history. When Lee joined the team, they were ranked 16th out of 18 teams and faced a tough relegation battle.
Lee fit right in with the team. He was recognized for his kicking ability and was given regular playing time as the designated kicker for corners and free kicks. He has appeared in 13 of the club’s 14 matches (seven starts) since his arrival. In the match against Gurnik Zabrze on April 18, he assisted on a valuable equalizer and earned his first offensive point since joining the club.
Helped the team stay up Niepławomice fought a fierce relegation battle throughout the season, but a run of four wins, five draws, and one loss in the final 10 games of the campaign put them clear of the relegation zone. They eventually managed to stay up ahead of the final league game. It was a disappointing end to Lee’s first season in charge of a European challenge.