South Korean national team midfielder Lee Jae-sung of Mainz 05 had a goal ruled out against Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich, while compatriot Kim Min-jae remained on the bench, preventing a head-to-head encounter between the two players.
Lee started Saturday's home match against Bayern in the ninth round of the 2026-27 Bundesliga season at MEWA Arena in Mainz, Germany, and played until the 63rd minute, when he was replaced by Paul Nebel.
Lee, who was an unused substitute against Elversberg on Oct. 31 and missed his first competitive match for Mainz this season, returned to the starting lineup and played just over an hour.
The midfielder, who has one goal and one assist in the league this season, failed to add to his tally.
Mainz suffered its third consecutive league defeat, losing 2-1 to Bayern. The result left Mainz in 11th place with three wins, one draw and five losses for 10 points.
Bayern, meanwhile, extended its unbeaten start to the season to nine matches, with six wins and three draws for 21 points, moving into first place. Kim was named among the substitutes but did not make an appearance.
Bayern took the lead in the 14th minute through Joshua Kimmich.
Mainz defender Danny da Costa failed to control a back pass from Lee, allowing Bayern to seize possession. Kimmich then received a pass from Harry Kane and fired a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty arc into the net.
In the 40th minute, Lee appeared to have equalized when he headed home a rebound after Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer parried a free kick from Nadiem Amiri. However, the goal was disallowed for offside following a video assistant referee (VAR) review.
Neuer was injured during the sequence and was replaced by Jonas Urbig.
Bayern maintained its narrow lead before Lennart Karl doubled the advantage in the 57th minute.
Kane, this year's Ballon d'Or winner, also assisted Karl's goal, bringing his Bundesliga assist tally to seven this season and moving him into a tie for the league lead.
Mainz replaced Lee with Nebel in the 63rd minute and managed only a consolation goal from Phillip Tietz in second-half stoppage time.
(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)
