FSV have to settle for 1-1 draw against 1. FC Köln

1. FSV Mainz 05 had to settle for a 1-1 draw at home against 1. FC Köln on Sunday evening. Despite taking a deserved lead into half time with them, courtesy of Leandro Barreiro’s opening strike, the Zerofivers were too passive in front of goal after the break. The guests were able to equalise in the fifth minute of second-half injury time, as Florian Kainz converted from the spot. Phillipp Mwene was then shown a controversial red card just a few minutes later, as the Zerofivers went down to 10 men late on.  

Bo Henriksen made just one change to the team following last weekend’s draw in Freiburg. Karim Onisiwo started in place of Jae-sung Lee, who was serving a yellow-card suspension.  

Köln start well, Barreiro nets deserved opener 

The visitors did well to keep Mainz from breaking into the final third during the opening minutes of the game, which had kicked off with an impressive tifo from the home fans. Köln’s first chance came in the 12th minute, as Denis Huseinbasic saw his long-range effort caught by Robin Zentner. It served as a minor wake-up call for the Zerofivers, who then began to mount attacks of their own. Jonny Burkardt darted down the wing in the 14th minute and delivered a cross that found Nadiem Amiri inside the box. His volley was blocked, however. The pendulum of the game had swung clearly in Mainz’s favour at this point, as they pressed Köln hard and forced them to defend. FSV’s best chance of the night came in the 20th minute, as Amiri’s corner found the feet of Brajan Gruda, who laid it off to Sepp van den Berg. His shot took a deflection on its way towards goal, but goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe was able to make a strong save to keep the score deadlocked. As the clock hit the half-hour mark, Mainz mounted a textbook counter-attack from inside their own half. A free kick from Waldschmidt was intercepted by Amiri, who then played a quick one-two with Burkardt. Amiri then delivered a perfect through ball for Onisiwo to run onto, who finished his sprint with a shot that was blocked by Schwäbe. The rebound fell perfectly to the feet of Barreiro, who was able to slot home the opener to make it 1-0 (29’). 

FSV continued to push for a second, looking to add to their lead as soon as possible. The hosts won the ball at the edge of their own penalty area, and it ended up with Gruda, who had enough time and space to pick our Burkardt with a chipped pass. The striker was unable to keep his shot down, however, sending it over the bar from five metres out (33’). The minutes before the break saw both sides continue to fight hard, with five minutes added on at the end of the opening half due to a break in play after coins were thrown at Amiri from the Köln end. The visitors went close just before the break, but Steffen Tigges was unable to put his shot on target. The Zerofivers thus headed into the break with a deserved, but narrow, 1-0 lead. 

Zerofivers too passive after the break, Köln equalise from the spot late on 

The second half began in the worst possible way for the Zerofivers, with Köln awarded a penalty almost immediately after Anthony Caci brought down Faride Alidou. Waldschmidt stepped up to take it, but sent his spot-kick wide of the post, allowing the home fans to breathe a sigh of relief (48’). FSV did well to put this early lapse in concentration behind them and quickly retook control of the game, albeit without managing to generate any real threat on goal. Onisiwo was fouled in the 55th minute and landed awkwardly on his hand, forcing him to be taken off in order to receive further treatment. Silvan Widmer came on in his place (56’). Köln made a triple change at the hour mark, with Henriksen bringing on further fresh legs in the 65th minute, as Edimilson Fernandes replaced Caci, who had already been cautioned once. Shortly after, an Amiri free kick found van den Berg, but Schwäbe was able to safely catch his header (67’). The Zerofivers were unable to create many chances on goal in the minutes that followed, increasing the danger that Köln would eventually find their way back into the match. The 72nd minute saw Zentner called up on parry a shot from Benno Schmitz and push it away from danger. Six minutes later, the visitors once again went close, this time through Kainz, who only hit the side-netting.  

Both the pressure and the nerves were there for all to see in the closing stages. The Zerofivers were desperate for a vital three points, while the visitors needed a win to keep their survival hopes very much alive. While FSV only managed to create the occasional half chance, including one for Gruda (83’), the visitors looked more likely to find an equaliser than Mainz looked to wrap up the game. In the 85th minute, there was chaos in the penalty area when Schmitz powered through to the touchline and found Mark Uth, who forced Zentner into a superb save. In the 90th minute though, FSV were on the wrong end of another refereeing decision. Max Finkgräfe was left free to put a cross in from deep, and Zentner got to Sargis Adamyan’s header before catching the forward. Referee Benjamin Brand pointed at the spot again and stuck with his decision even after reviewing VAR footage. Kainz stepped up and scored a late but deserved equaliser. Deep in injury time, Mwene was shown a straight red card for a foul on Uth. It was a somewhat bizarre decision, but one which was allowed to stand. After Burkardt’s final attempt in the 11th minute of injury time failed to find the net, the game ended in a draw after a memorable second half. The Zerofivers now have 28 points on the board from 31 matches, and remain five points ahead of Köln. Mainz’s next test will come away at 1. FC Heidenheim next Sunday evening (19:30 CEST). The suspended Amiri and Gruda will both be unavailable, as will Mwene.

MAINZ 05 - 1. FC KÖLN 1-1 

FSV: Zentner - Caci (65’ Edimilson), Kohr, van den Berg, Hanche-Olsen, Mwene - Barreiro, Amiri - Onisiwo (56’ Widmer), Burkardt, Gruda
 Köln: Schwäbe - Schmitz, Hübers, Chabot, Finkgräfe - Martel, Huseinbasic (72’ Kainz), Thielmann (62’ Maina), Waldschmidt (62’ Uth), Alidou - Tigges (62’ Downs)

Goals: 1-0 Barreiro (29’), 1-1 Kainz (90’+5)

Attendance: 33,305
 Officials: Benjamin Brand (Thomas Stein, Marco Achmüller, Florian Heft, Sören Storks)

Notable events: Luca Waldschmidt sends his penalty wide of the post (48’)