26th matchday
Augsburg (dpa) – After Augsburg’s exciting penalty, the disadvantaged FSV Mainz 05 was outraged about the Cologne basement. Referee Matthias Jöllenbeck even apologized for his controversial whistle.
Augsburg with the next important points
In the entertaining catch-up game of the 26th match day, the team of coach Markus Weinzierl won 2-1 (1-0). With their second consecutive victory in the Bundesliga, the Augsburgers increased their lead over relegation place 16 to a whopping six points.
But hardly anyone was interested in that after the game. The subject of discussion was Augsburg’s opening goal by Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, who converted the flattering penalty kick in the eleventh minute. Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner jumped a back pass too far from his foot in front of 18,122 spectators. Florian Niederlechner first tipped the ball away and then fell in the penalty area, although Zentner clearly pulled back.
“I saw it at halftime. Almost two worlds. Clear mistake, yes,” said referee Jöllenbeck on the Sky TV channel about his whistle. He would have liked it if he had been corrected by video assistant Tobias Stieler from Cologne’s basement, he said. “But I take it on my cap.”
Schmidt complains about Cologne cellars
Mainz sports director Martin Schmidt complained: “What I can’t understand is that the basement doesn’t help in Cologne and lets him make such a huge mistake.” “What are they doing in Cologne?” Mainz coach Bo Svensson was outraged. “That’s a blatant mistake.” Augsburg’s Niederlechner admitted that the action was not a foul. “If you look at it that way, it’s not a penalty,” he said. “But it wasn’t a swallow. I had a touch.”
While Augsburg celebrated the milestone in the fight for staying up with their fans, Mainz failed to stalk the international places. In the hectic final phase, Anton Stach (79′) failed with a header at FCA keeper Rafal Gikiewicz.
After Gouweleeuw’s opening goal, an alleged goal by André Hahn (32nd), the only newcomer in Augsburg’s starting eleven, was disallowed because of handball. The equalizer from Silvan Widmer (54th) in the second half was countered by Ruben Vargas (56th) just two minutes after being substituted on.
Zoff about relocation in the run-up to the game
Weinzierl had described the Zoff as “yesterday’s news” the day before because of the postponement of the game. Club President Klaus Hofmann teased again before kick-off on Wednesday in the club magazine. The core of the dispute was the question of whether, after a corona outbreak in March, the Mainzers actually did not have a playable goalkeeper available.
On the other hand, the energetic start phase of the Augsburg team was quite obvious. And this brought the – albeit controversial – leadership. The Mainz held against it in the open game. The always dangerous Jonathan Burkardt (26th) escaped Reece Oxford, but only hit the side netting.
The Mainz increased the pace. Widmer converted a pass into the interface of Jean-Paul Boetius’ defence. Vargas hit back almost immediately, hammering in an extension Hahn header. In the 64th minute, the Swiss could almost have increased against undeterred guests. In the last few minutes, the Augsburgers successfully defended themselves against the Mainz final offensive.