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Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung registers eighth assist of the season in 4-1 rout of VfL Bochum

Published: 11 May. 2025, 13:22 Updated: 18 May. 2025, 13:59

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung, left, vies for the ball during a Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum in Bochum, Germany, on May 10. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung registered his eighth assist of the 2024-25 season in a huge 4-1 win over VfL Bochum at Ruhrstadion in Germany on Saturday, but his side missed a coveted ticket to the Champions League.

Lee fed the ball to Phillipp Mwene in the 53rd minute in the penalty area, with the Austrian fullback firing it in to make it 2-0 en route to Mainz’s first victory since March 8.

Mainz had to win Saturday’s fixture to keep their Champions League qualification chances alive, but their hopes faded after No. 4 SC Freiburg also beat Holstein Kiel 2-1 on Saturday and retained the points gap with Mainz at four with one final league fixture left until the end of the Bundesliga campaign.

Mainz, sitting in sixth place, can still secure a berth in the Europa League if the club wins their final league fixture and No. 5 Borussia Dortmund loses their next game.

A sixth-place finish would send Mainz to the Conference League instead, which would still mark the club’s best result since finishing sixth in the 2015-16 campaign and their first UEFA competition participation since the 2016-17 Europa League.

Mainz’s qualification for the Europa or Conference League would allow Lee to make his UEFA competition debut. The 32-year-old has only competed in German tournaments since making his Bundesliga debut with Holstein in 2018.

Mainz, however, can end the season empty-handed, as the club is tied on points with No. 7 RB Leipzig with one match left for both sides.

A seventh-place finish for Mainz would deny Lee’s first appearance in any UEFA competition in what could be his final season with the club. Lee’s contract expires in June 2026.

Lee has yet to reveal whether he plans to continue his career with Mainz as of Sunday. If Lee leaves the club when his contract ends, he will depart after playing five years as a key midfielder for the team.

Lee has been a regular starter since his first season at Mainz in the 2021-22 campaign, tallying 24 goals and 18 assists across 122 appearances.

He has also showcased a solid performance this season, with seven goals and eight assists in 33 matches.

The 2025-26 season is also an opportunity for countryman Hong Hyun-seok to make his UEFA tournament debut with Mainz after joining the team ahead of this season.

Mainz midfieler Hong Hyun-seok, center, vies for the ball dureing a Bundesliga match against VfL Bochum in Mainz, Germany, on Jan. 11. [AP/YONHAP]

Hong moved to the Bundesliga after making 27 Conference League appearances and featuring in two Europa League qualifiers with KAA Gent and has picked up one assist across 22 matches for Mainz this season.

Whether the Korean midfield duo can make their UEFA competition debut next season will be decided at Mainz’s final league fixture against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on May 17.

That match is a formality for Leverkusen, as the club has already locked in a runner-up finish.

Bayern Munich claimed the 2024-25 Bundesliga title on May 4, with Korean defender Kim Min-jae also lifting his first trophy with the Bundesliga giants after his move to the club in 2023.

Correction May 18: A previous version of this article incorrectly said that Hong Hyun-seok has picked up two goals and four assists across 29 matches for Mainz this season, but he recorded one assist in 22 fixtures for Mainz.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]