Super subs strike – Lee winner sinks Fiorentina

1.  FSV Mainz celebrated making it three wins from three games in this season’s UEFA Conference League on Thursday night, overcoming Serie A side ACF Fiorentina thanks to Benedict Hollerbach’s first goal for the club and a stoppage time winner from Jae-sung Lee. Mainz trailed at half time, but a strong effort turned their performance around and the 2-1 scoreline at the end was not undeserved. 

Bo Henriksen made five changes from the side that started the game against Bremen last Saturday. Kacper Potulski, Danny da Costa, Sota Kawasaki, Armindo Sieb and Nelson Weiper came into the side in place of Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Kaishu Sano, Silvan Widmer, Benedict Hollerbach and Jae-sung Lee, all of whom were on the bench. For Sano, it was the first game of the season in which he didn’t play from the start.

Visitors take their early chance

The anticipation for another European night was noticeable all day around the city and especially in the couple of hours before kick-off. The pre-match festivities were rounded off by an impressive display by the Mainz fans across two stands as the teams entered the pitch. Such an atmosphere really gave Henriksen’s side a boost, as they started strongly, although it did take a bit of time for a real chance to come out of it. Ten minutes in, Paul Nebel got down the right hand side before crossing into the box; however Weiper’s header was easy for Tommaso Martinelli to save. Mainz were well in this game and had another chance just two minutes later. Dominik Kohr intercepted a throw-in, before Weiper laid it off to Sieb, who then advanced into the box before firing just wide from a tight angle (12’). Despite their dominance over proceedings, it was not the Bundesliga side who opened the scoring. A misplaced da Costa pass in the centre found Nicolussi Caviglia, who quickly played it to Roberto Piccoli. He then laid the ball to Simon Sohm, who gave Zentner no chance – 1-0 to the visitors (16’). Things very nearly went from bad to worse for the 05ers, as they almost found themselves down by two just seven minutes later. The visitors countered against a naive Mainz and found Piccoli unmarked, who had the whole goal to aim at, but was denied by the legs of Zentner from 12 yards out (23’). 

The 05ers never really recovered for the rest of the half and almost went down by two six minutes before the break. Weiper played the ball directly to an opponent in midfield, before Dodo broke down the line and found Piccoli in the box, but Potulski was there to block his effort and concede the corner (39’). FSV managed to fashion half a chance in the 43rd minute, as an Amiri attempt was cleared for a corner. A stark contrast from their strong start to the game, the hosts were fortunate to head into the break only a goal behind.

Substitutions prove key

A half-time change saw Silvan Widmer enter the fray in place of Phillipp Mwene. The hosts created the first half-chance after the break, but Weiper’s deflected shot was easily saved by Martinelli (47’). The Italians started the second half as dangerously they finished the first, but squandered a chance to double their lead. Sieb played the ball straight to Piccoli in space; however he couldn’t find the finish from the left-hand side (55’).  Henriksen made more changes on the hour mark, this time bringing Sano and Lee on for Lennard Maloney and Sieb. Mainz first real chance came in the 63rd minute, when the ball fell to a completely free Widmer in the box after a free kick, but the skipper was unable to get his effort on target. Shortly after, Hollerbach was brought on for Nebel to give the front line a different dimension. The substitute won a corner straight after coming on, which landed perfectly on Weiper’s head, but he couldn’t get his attempt on target (65’). The substitutions provided both a noticeable impact as well as the equaliser, which had seemed unlikely for a long time. Hollerbach won the ball back on the wing, found Lee, then got it back off the midfielder, before placing a composed finish past Martinelli – his first goal for FSV (68’).

The scoreline was now reflective of the game as we headed into the final exchanges. In the 77th minute, Dodo crossed into the Mainz box and found the head of a completely unmarked Moise Kean, who could only watch as his header flew just wide. The final substitution of the evening saw Amiri replaced by William Bøving. Neither side wanted to settle for a draw, and it was Mainz who looked the more dangerous side. A fine run from Sano ended with his shot being blocked by a defender, before Bøving’s shot then sailed over the bar (84’). Deep into the five minutes of added time, the MEWA ARENA erupted. First, Nelson Weiper had a golden opportunity to win it, but his effort was saved by Martinelli, who was then completely powerless to stop Lee’s perfectly placed header from a Sano cross – 2-1 Mainz! The final whistle went just seconds later, causing bedlam inside the stadium, as Mainz celebrated another victory in Europe. This win takes them up to nine points after three Conference League matches.

The 05ers next outing is on Sunday evening (19:30 CET) with a derby against Eintracht Frankfurt. It’s expected that 4,500 05ers will make the trip to Frankfurt for the game. It’s the last game before the final international break of the year, following which Mainz are set to welcome TSG Hoffenheim to the MEWA ARENA (21st November, 20:30 CET).