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Mainz 05 impress against Paris with strong performance and stunning goals

First team 08.08.2026 - 19:44 Uhr

Mainz 05 impress against Paris with strong performance and stunning goals

Fischer: “There were a lot of good things, but also points we need to work on”

A spectacular opener: Fabio Gruber scored his first FSV goal with an overhead kick.

1. FSV Mainz 05 remain unbeaten in their seventh friendly of pre-season. Against Paris FC, featuring German goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, Urs Fischer’s side were superior in every department and ran out 4-0 (2-0) winners after a convincing performance. Fabio Gruber opened the scoring with an overhead kick before Phillip Tietz added a second from 40 metres to continue the goal fest in the first half. After the break, Ransford Königsdörffer converted a penalty and Kacper Potulski added two further goals to seal a victory that was fully deserved, including by that margin.

“We are on the right track”

“We are on the right track, but we must not let the result blind us. In the first half, we won the ball back really well, but then gave it away again too quickly. We then changed things around and it became a little clearer. We did not allow much, and when we did, it came from simple losses of possession. There were a lot of good things that we have to take with us. But there are still points we need to work on,” said FSV’s head coach, who was generally satisfied. “We have to keep going, do our work and try to improve.”

Two stunning goals secure half-time lead

In the first half, Fischer sent out just one new signing in Gruber. Otherwise, he put his trust in his experienced regulars around captain Nadiem Amiri. Mainz largely allowed the technically strong visitors to have the ball and looked to transition quickly after winning possession. The hosts had their first sight of goal after an Amiri free-kick, with the deflected ball flying narrowly over the Paris goal guarded by Kevin Trapp (8’). Apart from a few neat passing moves, there was little to be seen from the French side, and Robin Zentner had a fairly quiet start to the afternoon. Minute by minute, FSV, who were aggressive and alert in defence, also began to show more confidence going forward, partly thanks to a tactical adjustment, and were rewarded with a dream goal. After an Amiri corner, Gruber spectacularly sent the ball past Trapp with an overhead kick to give Mainz the lead (20’).

Zentner was then called into action for the first time at the other end before the drinks break, saving Patrick Gueu Zabi’s shot from the edge of the area with his foot (22’). Mainz kept up the pressure and added a second with a goal very similar to the opener in the friendly against Kiel. After a lapse from the visitors in midfield, Kaishu Sano won the ball and left it for Tietz. The Mainz striker had spotted that Trapp was standing a long way off his line and gave the visiting goalkeeper no chance with his shot from around 40 metres: 2-0 (32’). Sheraldo Becker even had Mainz’s third goal at his feet shortly before the break, but after a fine pass from Jae-sung Lee, he was denied by Trapp (40’). Mainz therefore went into half-time with a two-goal lead, which they had earned with a solid performance in phases.

Many changes and everything under control

FSV made one change at half-time, with U23 talent Rael Nakuzola replacing Phillipp Mwene at left wing-back. Mainz began the second half on the front foot: Becker was blocked at the last moment in the penalty area, before Dominik Kohr narrowly missed the ball in the six-yard box following the resulting Amiri corner (49’). Mainz now had the game and their opponents completely under control and continued to push for the next goal. However, efforts from Tietz and Becker lacked precision (53’/54’), before Kohr fired wide from a promising position after a Becker cross (60’).

For the final half-hour, Mainz head coach Fischer introduced fresh legs. Maximilian Kinzig replaced Zentner in goal, while Potulski and Königsdörffer came on for Tietz and Danny da Costa. Mainz repeatedly got in behind down the flanks, especially through Becker and the impressive Nakuzola, creating danger in front of the visitors’ goal. Stefan Bell, Lennard Maloney, Taiyu Yamasaki, Otto Ruoppi, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, William Böving and Sota Kawasaki were seven further FSV players to get minutes in the final twenty minutes. With so many changes, however, there was not much action in front of either goal during this phase. Königsdörffer sent his effort a little too high after 73 minutes, as Ilan Kebbal had done for Paris shortly beforehand. The new signing from Hamburger SV caused the visitors problems again with his pace and even made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the closing stages (82’), after Kawasaki had been illegally stopped in the middle following Königsdörffer’s pass. The visitors offered nothing more after that, and FSV added another. Obed Nkambadio, who had come on for Trapp, missed a corner, and the ball dropped at Potulski’s feet, leaving him with a simple finish to seal the 4-0 final score (86’).

Season opening event and reunion with Marco Rose

FSV now head into the final week of pre-season with confidence, before next weekend’s final friendly at the MEWA ARENA brings a reunion with former Mainz 05 man Marco Rose and his new Premier League club, AFC Bournemouth (Saturday, 15 August, 15:30, tickets available in the online shop). On Sunday, 16 August, the season opening event “In the Shadow of the Cathedral” will then take place from 13:00.

1. FSV Mainz 05 - Paris FC 4:0 (2:0)

M05: Zentner (61. Kinzig) - Mwene (46. Nakuzola), Gruber (71. Bell), Sano (71. Maloney), Lee (71. Böving), Tietz (61. Königsdörffer), Amiri (71. Yamasaki), Caci (71. Kawasaki), da Costa (61. Potulski), Becker (71. Ruoppi), Kohr (71. Hanche-Olsen)

Paris: Trapp - Mbow, Gueu Zabi, Kebbal, Koleosho, Kamara, Nzingola Matondo, de Smet, Lees-Melou, Coppola, Sinayoko

Goals: 1-0 Gruber (20'), 2-0 Tietz (32'), 3-0 Königsdörffer (82' pen.), 4-0 Potulski (86')

Audience: 2,300

Referees: Jan-Vincent Ritter (Julien Belzer, Matthias Munkler)