Rangers striker Kevin Kelsy played 69 minutes for Venezuela in their 0-0 draw against South Korea on Friday.

Kelsy embraced his Rangers teammate Minsu Kim after full-time and the duo exchanged their jerseys after a game in which both of them were named in the starting eleven.

This was the striker’s eighth cap for Venezuela, but he could not add another goal to his tally for his country.

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Venezuelan press analyses Rangers striker Kevin Kelsy’s performance vs South Korea

El Nacional put Kelsy in their display picture and caption of their post-match story, in which they lauded his efforts off the ball. While it was not a game in which he found the back of the net, he was still given credit for his performance. The caption of the image was: “Kevin Kelsy stood out for his pressing and recovery efforts.”

The article continues to talk about the 22-year-old’s performance in the match, about how he and his teammates were good at stealing the ball from the South Koreans and launching counter-attacks. They even mentioned his involvement in the 64th minute, where he flicked the ball on cleverly into Jesus Ramirez’s stride who found the back of the net, but that did not end up in a goal as Ramirez was in an offside position.

Gabriel Peraza, the El Nacional journalist, wrote: “Venezuela troubled South Korea through relentless pressure. It wasn’t just Kelsy with a couple of steals; Luis Balbo, Jon Aramburu, and Cristian Cásseres, along with Yangel Herrera, also forced turnovers.

“In the 64th minute, Kelsy flicked the ball on, and it fell to Ramírez. He shot, Bum-keun responded, but the rebound fell kindly to the Venezuelan, who fired another shot into the back of the net. The goal was disallowed because the striker was offside when his teammate headed the ball down to him.”

AVN highlighted how Kelsy was asked to play a deeper role in the second half and how that worked to Venezuela’s advantage. It saw them retain possession better and also press the opposition higher up the pitch.

The story reads: “In the second half, the national team’s dynamics shifted with the introduction of Wikelman Carmona into midfield and Kevin Kelsy dropping deeper, changes that increased ball possession and intensified the high press on the opposition’s build-up play.”

The publication Lider also highlighted Kelsy’s change of role and how he linked up with the midfielders to give Venezuela a different shape while building out from the back.

They wrote: “The pattern of play remained unchanged during the opening minutes of the second half; however, the Venezuelan approach improved following two tactical adjustments: the introduction of Wikelman Carmona, who gave the team greater possession in midfield, and Kevin Kelsy dropping deeper to link up with the midfielders.”

All in all, it was an impressive display from the Rangers striker off the ball. While he did score one in his previous game, this performance was also noteworthy, but in a different way. It has been a good international break for him, and he will hope to continue his form at club level.