Late Leverkusen goal sees Mainz come away with a point

1. FSV Mainz 05 put on an ambitious and committed performance against Bayer Leverkusen, taking the lead in the second half, but ultimately being forced to settle for a 1-1 draw. After a largely uneventful first half, Sheraldo Becker gave Mainz a 1-0 lead with a fantastic volley after the restart. Leverkusen were determined to respond and Jarell Quansah equalised in the 88th minute, meaning the 05ers leave the BayArena with a point. 

Head coach Urs Fischer made three changes to the side that started the game against Hamburger SV. Nadiem Amiri was ruled out of the game after picking up an injury to his heel, so Paul Nebel started the game in his place. Sheraldo Becker was handed a first Mainz start over Silas, while Silvan Widmer’s return from suspension saw him take the place of Danny da Costa.

05ers engaged throughout first half

Mainz made a lively start to the match. They controlled possession for the opening few minutes, moving the ball confidently, although initial attacks posed little threat in the hosts’ final third. Leverkusen also appeared alert at the start, however their early forays forward didn’t amount to anything dangerous. The opening phase saw play go back and forth, with both sides struggling to maintain possession for extended periods. The first promising opportunity of the game came in the 18th minute and fell to the 05ers: Nebel received the ball inside the penalty area following a pinpoint cross from Phillip Tietz, but his shot was saved by Janis Blaswich in the Leverkusen goal. Tietz immediately followed up, but Nebel unintentionally blocked his teammate’s effort, clearing the danger himself. At this stage, the hosts lacked fluency in their play, and the Mainz defence had little trouble dealing with their attacks. 

The game became slower the longer it went on, with both sides lacking that cutting edge in the final third. Clear-cut chances were few and far between, but Mainz were looking like the better side and were getting forwards more than their opponents. VAR was called into action late in the first half to check for a potential Leverkusen penalty after a Kacper Potulski handball in the box. An offside in the build-up was spotted, so no penalty was given. Referee Tobias Stieler blew for half time shortly afterwards, with the score level at 0-0.

Mainz take the lead, Leverkusen respond late

The hosts looked the better side after the restart, however that didn’t last long and Mainz quickly restored the order of the first half. Despite that, the first chance of the second half fell the way of the hosts, as Martin Terrier cut the ball back from the byline, where Patrik Schick arrived to shoot from a tight angle. Daniel Batz was equal to it and made a smart stop (63’). Mainz’s goalkeeper then went from denier to provider, as he launched a sublime ball down the flank to Nebel in the 67th minute. The midfielder crossed into the box, where an unmarked Sheraldo Becker fired a powerful volley into the Leverkusen goal to make it 1-0.

The hosts pushed for a response, but continued to struggle in the final third. FSV remained alert, determined to defend their narrow lead and, if possible, create more chances to double it. In the closing moments, Leverkusen got the moment they had been looking for. Christian Kofane powered forward into the 05ers’ penalty area and squared the ball to Quansah, who slotted home under pressure to make it 1-1 (88'). Leverkusen increased the pressure afterward in search of a winner, but Mainz held on until full time to secure a point.

With 23 points, Mainz sit in 14th place for the time being and will have an opportunity to return to winning ways next weekend, as they welcome VfB Stuttgart to the MEWA ARENA on Saturday (15:30 CET).