Kim Ji-soo debuts for Brentford in 3-1 Carabao Cup win

Korean defender Kim Ji-soo made his Brentford debut in a 3-1 win over Leyton Orient in the Carabao Cup, advancing the team to the next round. He faces Tottenham next, potentially marking the first Korean derby of the season.

Kim Ji-soo [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean defender Kim Ji-soo made his debut Tuesday for Brentford in a 3-1 win over League One's Leyton Orient in the third round of the Carabao Cup at Gtech Community Stadium in England, a year and three months after joining the Premier League club.

Kim was substituted in for center-back Sepp van den Berg in the 77th minute after a goal and two assists from Brentford's Fabio Carvalho had put the score at 3-1. That score held through the final whistle.

Tuesday’s win sends Brentford through to the fourth round of the 2024-25 Carabao Cup in which 92 clubs across the top four English football leagues compete.

Kim played mostly for Brentford's B squad after joining the team last June on a four-year deal with the option of an additional year. He was promoted to the A team this June ahead of the 2024-25 campaign that kicked off in August.

Kim first made his professional debut at K League team Seongnam FC in 2022 and rose to prominence at the U-20 World Cup in 2023, where he was a key member of the squad that reached the semifinals. That notable performance allowed him to move to Britain despite having only played 21 matches for Seongnam.

Brentford will be in Premier League action until the next round of the Carabao Cup, with the team facing Son Heung-min’s Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in London.

If both Son and Kim play, the matchup will mark the first Korean derby of the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Brentford sit in ninth place on the 20-team table, with two wins and two losses as of press time Wednesday, while Spurs are in 13th place with one win, one draw and two losses.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]