Koreans score three in Bundesliga game

By Nam Hyun-woo

Korean players scored three goals during an entertaining German Bundesliga game in which Bayer Leverkusen defeated Mainz 05 3-2 on Saturday at the Coface Arena.

Leverkusen's Son Heung-min volleyed in Hakan Calhanoglu's cross for the game's opener in the 15th minute. Stefan Kiessling doubled the lead in the 60th minute with a right-footed strike and Calhanoglu added another with a free kick in the 73rd minute.

The game looked set to be a comfortable win for Leverkusen, but became interesting after Mainz's Shinji Okazaki was fouled in the Leverkusen penalty box in the 76th minute.

Kicker Koo Ja-cheol flicked the shot into the right of the net to score in his 100th Bundesliga game. Fifteen minutes later, Jairo Samperio was again fouled in the penalty box, allowing Koo to score another from the penalty spot. However, the penalties were too late for Mainz to tie the game.

Son's goal was the 11th in the league this season and 17th in total. It was the first time he had found the net since scoring two in a league game against Paderborn last month.

With three more goals, Son will become the first Korean to score 20 goals for a Bundesliga team. So far, former Leverkusen great Cha Bum-kun is the top Korean scorer, with 19 goals in the 1985-86 season. Leverkusen have six games left to play this season.

The game was dubbed a “Korean derby” here because three Korean players

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Son, Koo and Park Joo-ho of Mainz

appeared. Park also played the whole game at left back. “Korean players in Germany are highly motivated when Korean fans visit Bundesliga stadiums,” Koo told Sportal Korea, a sports news outlet. “More fans visited the stadium today and waved Korea's national flag and I was more motivated than other days,” Koo said.