FSV's Conference League journey continues after 4-1 win against Rosenborg

A deserved 4-1 victory at home against Rosenborg BK saw 1. FSV Mainz 05 overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League. 

Stefan Bell, Jae-sung Lee, Nelson Weiper and Nadiem Amiri all got on the scoresheet for FSV, with the visitors having managed to equalise just before the break. The hosts were able to regain the lead with two goals in quick succession, before a dominant second-half performance then set the scene for wild celebrations after the full-time whistle went. 

Head coach Bo Henriksen made just one change to his starting line-up following last week's reverse in Trondheim, with Nelson Weiper starting in place of the injury Benedict Hollerbach. Earlier in the day, the club had announced that the academy product had signed a long-term contract extension, keeping him in Mainz until 2029. 

Bell opens the scoring – Lee restores FSV's advantage just before the break

The atmosphere in and around the sold-out MEWA ARENA began building well before the game kicked off. The fans put on a fantastic display following a march from the city centre to the stadium, really setting the tone for a European night and making the game with the Norwegians feel like a final. Captain Nadiem Amiri had Mainz’s first shot of the game after just 28 seconds and used the opportunity to rally a crowd that was already fired up, despite his shot missing by quite some distance. The next few minutes gave an insight into how the rest of the game would end up playing out, with Mainz set up strong and relentless in their press, with the visitors barely hanging on. The next chances for the 05ers fell to Phillipp Mwene and Nelson Weiper, the former seeing his 14th minute attempt saved easily by Sander Tangvik, before the latter fired into the side netting a minute later. The visitors sought to capitalise on losses of possession in midfield, looking to catch FSV on the break. Ole Saeter, who was on the scoresheet in the first leg, took aim from 25 metres out but saw his effort go wide of the target (21'). 

The visitors struggled to carve out chances for themselves, leading to FSV taking a deserved lead in the 27th minute. A cross from Paul Nebel initially found Lee, whose shot was saved by the Rosenborg goalkeeper before falling to Bell. The defender buried the rebound in the back of the net to open the scoring for the hosts. Just five minutes later, Bell was once again involved in a key moment in the match – albeit, at the other end. The defender fluffed his clearance, allowing Rosenborg's Dino Islamovic to slot home the equaliser (32'). FSV did well to recover from the setback quickly, with Lee restoring their advantage less than 10 minutes later. The attacker was able to head in following a cross from Anthony Caci, making it 2-1 to the 05ers in the 43rd minute. Just a minute later, Weiper smashed home a shot from close range, putting Mainz 3-1 up at half time. 

Amiri puts the game to bed 

Mainz came out of the half-time break unchanged, and quickly picked up where they had left off. Mwene's cross into the box found Bell, with the defender unable to connect fully with the ball (46'). FSV continued to press hard, keeping their opponents pinned back inside their own half. In the 54th minute, Danny da Costa delivered a cross from the right flank that was met by Mwene, but his volley went straight into the side netting. Three minutes later, Rosenborg lost possession on the edge of their penalty box, allowing Amiri to power home a shot from 15 metres out to open up a 4-1 lead. It was one-way traffic from this point on, with the 05ers making their quality known. Nebel and Caci combined for a skilful one-two on the right wing, with our number 8 then seeing his shot saved by Tangvik (61'). Nine minutes later, Nebel's corner was met at the near post by Caci, with the Frenchman's header only just missing the target (70').

Shortly after, Henriksen brought on Silvan Widmer and Armindo Sieb for Mwene and Weiper. The next good opportunity fell to Lee, however, with the South Korean unable to capitalise on an empty net (75'). The visitors were then able to generate a bit of pressure of their own, leading to individual efforts that didn't really pose a threat for Robin Zentner. Henriksen's final change of the night saw Sota Kawasaki come on to make his competitive debut for the 05ers, as they kept Rosenborg at bay for the final minutes of play. 

The full-time whistle then ushered in wild celebrations amongst the players and fans at the MEWA ARENA. With the win, the club have successfully qualified for the league phase of the UEFA Conference League for the first time. FSV will find out their opponents during the draw tomorrow afternoon (14:00 CEST), with the competition set to resume in early October.