Lee Jae-sung struck his first double since April to single-handedly propel Mainz to a sensational 2-1 triumph over Bundesliga pacesetters Bayern Munich at the Mewa Arena, abruptly halting the Bavarians’ unbeaten streak in the top tier this campaign.
After bagging a brace against Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek, an assured Michael Olise looked poised to net an early breakthrough when he unleashed a left-footed strike against the outside of Robin Zentner’s right post. But Mainz weren’t fazed, and quickly posed their own danger through Jonathan Burkardt, who injured himself while firing narrowly wide of Daniel Peretz’s net. The 05ers didn’t waver from there, continuing to create encouraging openings while nullifying Bayern’s attempts to generate any sort of rhythm.
And ‘encouraging’ turned into ‘decisive,’ as Mainz’s Lee broke the deadlock moments before halftime, steering the ball home from Armindo Sieb’s deflected delivery after Kim Min-jae and Olise failed to clear a cross-field pass, allowing the hosts to carry an unexpected advantage into the break. There had been numerous positive moments for the home side overall, but with their rivals having scored a staggering 28 goals across the last six meetings, the contest was far from settled – particularly against a Bayern squad that hadn’t trailed by two goals in the Bundesliga this term.
Yet following a dominant start to the second half from Mainz, that record was rewritten as the Lee and Sieb combination struck again to deliver a second goal on the hour. The South Korean maestro latched onto Sieb’s precise low pass from the right wing, swiveling sharply and firing beyond Peretz – aided by a slight deflection off Joshua Kimmich – sending the home crowd into raptures. Lee’s fifth Bundesliga goal of the campaign sapped the energy from Vincent Kompany’s outfit, who suddenly looked unlike a side that had netted 41 goals in their preceding 13 league encounters.
Bayern eventually sprang to life when Leroy Sané clawed a goal back in the 87th minute, slotting home from Kimmich’s deflected shot. However, the effort proved too little too late, as Mainz held firm to close out the final moments, securing a third straight home victory and climbing to sixth place. Conversely, Bayern’s cushion at the summit has shrunk to four points, marking Kompany’s maiden Bundesliga setback.
