FSV Mainz Lee Jae-sung’s header leads to victory

South Korean soccer players in European leagues earned attack points over the weekend. Bundesliga’s FSV Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung is one of them with his header bringing the first winning of this season to the team. Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint Germain in France’s Ligue 1 recorded the first goal since he moved to France. Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League garnered attack points for six consecutive league fixtures.

On Sunday morning, Lee Jae-sung scored the first goal in the 31st minute of the first half in a home match with Leipzig in the 2023-24 Bundesliga. Positioned as a left winger at the start, he grabbed goal opportunities following Karim Onisiwo’s cross pass, which led to a diving header. It was his second goal of this season since his first goal, a header, was recorded in a match with Eintracht Frankfurt on Aug. 27.

With Mainz winning Leipzig by two to zero, Lee’s goal ended up as the final goal of the match. The team garnered the first victory of this season in 10 matches and earned six winning points in total, moving up from the lowest bottom – one point ahead of FC Köln. Last Friday, the team’s head coach, Bo Svensson, stepped down virtually for being held responsible for the team’s poor performance. The match with RB Leipzig on Sunday was led by caretaker manager Jan Siewert who worked with U23s. Even amid some changes in leadership and the perceived confusion within the team, Lee did a great job leading the team to the first victory of the season.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com