Koreans in Europe: Lee Jae-sung gets assist for Mainz in key 2-0 win over Bochum

Mainz's Lee Jae-sung Lee, right, vies for the ball with VfL Bochum's Anthony Losilla during a 2023-24 Bundesliga match at Mewa Arena in Mainz, Germany on Saturday. [AP/YONHAP]

Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung recorded an assist in his side’s 2-0 win over VfL Bochum in the 2023-24 Bundesliga on Saturday, lifting the club to 16th place on the 18-team table to escape the direct relegation zone.

Lee was involved in both goals at Mewa Arena in Mainz, Germany on Saturday, playing full time.

He earned a penalty after being fouled by defender Bernardo in the penalty area in the 45th minute, and Jonathan Burkardt made short work of a chance to open the scoring.

Lee then contributed to Burkardt’s double in the 71st minute, making a tidy header pass in the penalty box to the German forward who slotted in the ball to seal the team’s 2-0 victory.

That assist was Lee’s second of the season, on top of two goals in 22 league fixtures so far.

As for Mainz, Saturday’s win was their first victory since they beat FC Augsburg 1-0 on Feb. 17.

With an important three points, Mainz are now in 16th place on the table, just one spot above the direct relegation zone.

In the Bundesliga, the bottom two teams face direct relegation at the end of a season, with the top two finishers in the 2. Bundesliga replacing them in the following season.

A 16th-place Bundesliga team, meanwhile, play a promotion-and-relegation playoff against a second-division team after the final league fixture.

The 2023-24 Bundesliga campaign runs through May, with eight league matches remaining for Mainz. Mainz are six points behind 15th-place Bochum as of Sunday.

Mainz will play their next league game against RB Leipzig on March 30 after a FIFA international break running from Monday through March 26, during which Lee will be with the Korean national team.

Korea will play two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Thailand, with the home match on March 21, followed by the away game on March 26.

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