Mainz wins crazy duel in Frankfurt

After the coup against Bayern Munich, 1. FSV Mainz 05 surprised Eintracht Frankfurt, the next top team in the Bundesliga. Despite being long outnumbered and a clear lack of chances, the Mainz team took a 3-1 (2-0) victory from Frankfurt in the Rhine-Main duel.

Thanks to the surprise success, the Rheinhessen are stalking the Champions League places towards the end of the first half of the season. Frankfurt, which goes into the winter break with a negative run of five competitive games without a win, is third with 27 points, only two points ahead of Mainz 05.

Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos (15th minute) with an own goal and Paul Nebel (27th, 58th) with a brace ensured the away win for Mainz 05 on Saturday, who were outnumbered for almost 70 minutes after a red card against Nadiem Amiri (21st). had to play. Despite their overwhelming superiority, Frankfurt only scored once from a corner through Rasmus Kristensen (75′).

Mainz coach Bo Henriksen said in a Sportschau interview after the game: “It was an amazing game. We played ten against eleven for 70 minutes, which is of course difficult. We defended very well in the first half, the second half was a bit crazy. That wasn’t deserved, but that’s what it is Football.” Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller was disappointed that the game had been very unfortunate for his team: “It wasn’t meant to be today. The boys tried everything.”

Slapstick own goal from Frankfurt’s Kaua Santos

Despite the recent series, Frankfurt started confidently and energetically. Eintracht had their first good chance after just seven minutes: Nnamdi Collins made his way into the penalty area on the half-right and unselfishly wanted to serve Omar Marmoush, who was running along, but 05 defender Dominik Kohr got his foot in the way.

The first setback came all the harder. In his own penalty area, Ellyes Skhiri, under pressure from the opposition, skipped the ball over Trapp representative Kaua Santos. The Eintracht goalkeeper went after the ball and could have punched it out over the crossbar. But instead the ball from Santos’ forearm hit his own head and from there into the goal to make it 0-1.

Red for Nadiem Amiri – but Mainz still increases

Of course, nothing was lost yet and Eintracht’s response didn’t take long to arrive, but Kristensen only headed against the crossbar after a Marmoush corner. When Mainz decimated itself through an open-soled foul by Amiri against Arthur Theate, that could have been another sign of a Frankfurt comeback. Would have. Because it wasn’t a Eintracht day. Nebel had too much space in midfield and shot from 22 meters. The ball would have landed relatively centrally on the Hessian goal, but Robin Koch deflected it into his own net to make it 0-2.

With the two-goal lead and only ten men left on the field, Mainz then holed up deep in their own half and demonstrated enormous ability to take the game. A crazy first half saw Frankfurt outnumbered, outnumbered and with a significant increase in shots on goal (12:2) – but the guests had the lead 2-0. However, Eintracht did not allow themselves to be discouraged and had the goal on their feet immediately after the restart. But Can Uzun (48th), who had just come on as a substitute, pushed the ball into the arms of visiting goalkeeper Robin Zentner from seven meters.

Paul Nebel strikes mercilessly

It looked like it was going to be a bad day for Frankfurt and Mainz’s third goal confirmed that: the completely indisposed Santos played a pass from the penalty area too short to Mainz’s Jae-Sung Lee. The Korean failed in his shot attempt, but Nebel scored the rebound to make it 3-0.

But Frankfurt kept going, even if there was always a defensive leg, the goalkeeper or their own inability in the way, the hosts continued to play forward. The reward came a quarter of an hour before the end when Kristensen headed a corner from the right in the six-yard box into the far corner to make it 1-3.

Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner saves again and again

Frankfurt pressed, Frankfurt pushed. Substitute Igor Matanovic almost had a private duel with goalkeeper Zentner, failing with his head (77th), with his foot (80th) and again with his head (82nd). And Zentner (9 shots on goal blocked) was also there in stoppage time against Uzun (90th + 1).

In the end there was a game that football sometimes delivers: Frankfurt lost a game with 30:8 shots on goal, 17:2 corners and 65 percent ball possession 1:3. And Mainz was just celebrating the next coup.

Frankfurt has to go to the Millerntor, Mainz welcomes Bochum

Eintracht Frankfurt starts the new year with the away game at FC St. Pauli (Saturday January 11th, 2025, 3:30 p.m.). Mainz 05 host bottom team VfL Bochum at the same time.