"Even the referee acknowledged Lee Jae-seong's equalizer, but it was canceled four minutes later" Mainz furious... "A decision only possible because it's Bayern Munich" Ultimately a 1-2 defeat

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lee Jae-seong (34) of Germany's Mainz appeared to score an equalizer against Bayern Munich, but had to swallow the disappointment as the goal was canceled following a video assistant referee (VAR) review. Mainz players expressed strong dissatisfaction with the referee's decision.

Mainz lost 1-2 in their home match against Bayern Munich on the 8th (Korean time) at Mewa Arena in Mainz, Germany, in Round 9 of the 2026~2027 German Bundesliga season.

With this result, Mainz recorded a record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses (10 points), placing 11th in the league standings. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich maintained its unbeaten streak in its first nine matches of the season (6 wins, 3 draws, 21 points) to hold onto the top spot in the league.

Lee Jae-seong, who started the match, played for 63 minutes until he was substituted off for Paul Nebel in the 18th minute of the second half. Notably, in the 40th minute of the first half, he hit the net with a header from a free kick situation, but the goal was canceled due to an offside call.

The incident sparked controversy even among local German media. Sky Sports Germany reported, "Mainz was furious over VAR intervention in their match against Bayern Munich. Lee Jae-seong's canceled goal has triggered fierce debate."

The outlet explained, "Although Mainz lost 1-2 to Bayern Munich, the biggest controversy stemmed from a VAR decision made just before halftime," adding, "Lee Jae-seong appeared to have scored a 1-1 equalizer, but after more than four minutes of video review, an offside was declared and the goal was canceled."

Here is what happened. In the 40th minute of the first half, with Mainz trailing 0-1, Nadim Amiri delivered a free kick. After Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and defender Jonathan Tah touched the ball, Lee Jae-seong headed it into the net.

The referee initially acknowledged the goal. Referee Robert Schröder pointed to the center circle, and players from both teams took their positions to restart the match.

However, VAR intervened late in the process. The video review lasted for more than four minutes, and ultimately Lee Jae-seong's goal was canceled. It was an especially disappointing moment for Mainz, as it had been a chance to level the score.

The reason cited was that Lee Jae-seong was in a marginal offside position at the time of the free kick. The outlet reported, "The crux of the decision lay in how the moment when Bayern Munich goalkeeper Neuer and center-back Tah touched the ball was interpreted."

It further explained, "The refereeing team determined that the two players' contact with the ball did not constitute a deliberate controlled play," adding, "Consequently, the fact that Lee Jae-seong was initially in an offside position remained valid, and the goal was canceled."

However, Mainz players were not easily convinced. In particular, defender Fabio Gruber expressed his frustration, saying, "I have no idea why the referee canceled that goal. To me, it was a clear 1-1 equalizer."

He continued, "If that had stood, we would have been able to finish the first half in good spirits. The referee gave us no explanation whatsoever. He had already acknowledged the goal, so in my opinion, this is a scandal," raising his voice.

Gruber also questioned the fairness of the decision. He said, "It's because it's Bayern Munich. I don't know if such a decision would have been made if it were Mainz." This implied that a favorable call was made because the opposing team was the popular, league-representing Bayern Munich.

Amiri, who had delivered the free kick to Lee Jae-seong, also vented his frustration. Amiri stated, "At first, I didn't understand at all why such a decision was made. Above all, the referee had already blown the whistle and pointed to the center circle," adding, "But later, they said Lee Jae-seong was in an offside position. In my opinion, it is not offside."

He continued, "This cannot be called offside," expressing dissatisfaction with the interpretation of the rules.

Mainz forward Philipp Tietz also expressed bewilderment, calling it a "strange scene."

The Mainz club also expressed deep regret over Lee Jae-seong's goal not being recognized in its official match review. In particular, they cited the cancellation of the goal after nearly five minutes of VAR review as an unfortunate incident.

Ultimately, without having their equalizer recognized, Mainz finished the first half trailing 0-1.

On this day, Bayern Munich took the lead in the 14th minute of the first half when Joshua Kimmich scored with a powerful long-range shot assisted by Harry Kane. In the 12th minute of the second half, Leonard Carll received a pass from Kane to add another goal, extending the lead to 2-0.

Mainz did not give up. In the third minute of stoppage time in the second half, Tietz headed in a cross from Benedict Hollerbach to pull one goal back. However, they failed to mount any further pursuit and ultimately suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat.

On this day, Lee Jae-seong received a rating of 6.7 from football statistics media outlet FotMob. In 63 minutes, he recorded 34 ball touches, a 63% pass success rate (10/16), 5 tackles, and 4 ball recoveries.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae was included in the substitute list but ultimately did not take the field.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original