Veteran midfielder Lee Jae-sung picked up his third goal of the Bundesliga season on Sunday, heading in the last goal of the game as Mainz beat Holstein Kiel 3-0 on the road.
Mainz struck early at Holstein-Stadion in Kiel, Germany, with Nadiem Amiri putting the visitors ahead in the 11th minute. Jonathan Burkardt extended that lead with a penalty awarded for handball in the box, putting Mainz up 2-0 at the break.
Lee added some insurance in the 53rd minute, heading in a tidy cross from Anthony Caci to push the score to 3-0.
The Korean veteran was substituted off shortly after, leaving the pitch in the 69th minute to hand the baton to Korean teammate Hong Hyun-seok.
Lee, 32, has been playing for Mainz since the 2021-22 season and has remained a regular starter for the German side throughout his tenure there. An attacking central midfielder, Lee tends to be more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer, but is particularly hard to beat in the air.
Also a national team regular, Lee is the second-most capped active member of the Korean national team, after captain Son Heung-min, and only a handful of games short of breaking into the all-time top 10.
Hong, 25, moved to Mainz this season from KAA Gent, where he had established himself as a breakout star and regular starter.
After starting the first three games of the season, Hong has been largely relegated to the bench since September. He has still made an appearance in all but one game, although mostly as a substitute. Sunday’s outing was his most playing time since Sept. 28, possibly suggesting that manager Bo Henriksen is starting to use the young Korean more.
Mainz will be back in action on Sunday as they take on Hoffenheim. There are three games still to play this year, including a Korean derby against Bayern Munich on Dec. 14.
Unlike the Premier League, the Bundesliga takes a short winter break every year, with no games scheduled this year from Dec. 22 to Jan. 10.
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