Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung bagged an assist in his side’s 4-3 loss to Wolfsburg on Sunday, making his fourth goal contribution in a row.

In the seven-goal thriller at Volkswagen Arena in Germany, Lee fed the ball to Paul Nebel to open the scoring in the 11th minute, picking up his third assist of the 2024-25 season.

But it didn’t turn out to be an easy game for Mainz. Wolfsburg leveled in the 19th minute, with Mohamed Amoura turning in the rebound.

Jonathan Burkardt restored Mainz’s lead in the 39th minute, but Tiago Tomas slotted the ball in to equalize again in the 57th minute.

More action unfolded in the remainder of the game, with Nebel capitalizing on a loose ball to make it 3-2 for Mainz, only for Jonas Wind to level the score yet again in the 83rd minute and one more in stoppage time to complete a 4-3 comeback win.

Despite the loss, Lee still pulled off a strong performance, which he had showcased throughout the 2024-25 season, during which he racked up three goals and three assists across 13 appearances.

The veteran midfielder has played as a regular starter this season as he had in the previous three seasons with Mainz. His best season was the 2022-23 campaign when he picked up seven goals and four assists in 36 fixtures.

Lee has also performed well for the Korean national team this year, scoring four goals and three assists.

Playing as a No. 10 under manager Hong Myung-bo, he has been a core part of the midfield during Korea’s run in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

He not only scored two goals in a row against Jordan and Iraq in October, but also seamlessly transitioned between defensive duties and offensive support with key passes that acted as an engine for Korea’s attack.

The veteran with 94 caps does not have a national duty until March next year, but he will have a Bundesliga action to catch in December before the winter break starts Dec. 22.

Mainz will resume their league schedule in a fixture against league leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday and play their final match before the break against second-place Eintracht Frankfurt on Dec. 21.

The match against Bayern is the second time facing the Bundesliga giants this season after losing 4-0 to them in the DFB-Pokal Cup in October.

Mainz have a relatively relaxed schedule for the rest of the season, as the club is not competing in any UEFA competition or other domestic tournaments.

Mainz, sitting in ninth place on the 18-team table, need to finish the league in the top six to book a ticket to UEFA competitions. Teams that finish in the top four in the Bundesliga qualify for the Champions League, while a fifth-placed team enters the Europa League and a sixth-seeded club heads to a Conference League qualifier.

Lee has yet to make his UEFA tournament debut with Mainz, who has struggled to make it into the top six. An eighth-place finish in the 2021-22 season was the best result Lee saw with the club.