After VfL Bochum, 1. FSV Mainz 05 also won its first game in the Bundesliga. Two days after the resignation of former coach Bo Svensson, Lee Jae-sung (77th) and Leandro Barreiro (81st) ensured a 2-0 (0-0) win against RB Leipzig on Saturday (November 4th, 2023).
No league win yet, the coach had thrown in the towel two days earlier – Mainz went into the game against Leipzig with an enormous backpack. U23 coach Jan Siewert had to step in just 48 hours before kick-off after Bo Svensson resigned following the DFB Cup elimination at Hertha BSC (0-3). He was now the one who was supposed to somehow get Mainz on track – and that against in-form Leipzig, who had celebrated three clear competitive game victories before being eliminated from the cup at VfL Wolfsburg (0-1).
Mainz is successfully mixing concrete
The events on the pitch also took place accordingly. RB dominated the game, while Mainz tried almost exclusively to defend their own goal. And that actually worked quite well, the guests only had their first good chance in the 20th minute. Christoph Baumgartner suddenly appeared free in front of the opponent’s goal after a Mainz attempt to clear the ball, but Robin Zentner was able to parry.
The bottom of the table showed no improvement in terms of football, but Mainz were fully there in terms of fighting. They ran more and sprinted more and won more duels than their opponents. And so Leipzig had the upper hand, but was usually left behind in the crucial moments. That’s why Marco Rose’s team only managed six shot attempts in the first half, of which only Baumgartner’s chance was really dangerous.
Kohr is centimeters away from Mainz’s lead
The strong defensive performance apparently gave the Mainz team new self-confidence. After the break, the Siewert team bravely came back onto the pitch and had the better moments on offense at the beginning. It wasn’t dangerous for Leipzig’s goal, but it was still remarkable how many problems RB suddenly had with the battered hosts. The favorite only appeared on the offensive with a long-range shot from Xavi Simons, which Zentner parried (59th).
Otherwise, the unimaginative people of Leipzig, who were also lucky, were disappointed. Dominik Kohr had a great chance to take the hosts’ lead after a counterattack, but he shot flat past the opponent’s goal while standing alone (66′). Curious thing about this scene: RB thought they had a corner, but referee Bastian Dankert gave a goal kick, allowing the 05ers to attack against disorderly Leipzig.
Lee exploits perfect Onisiwo cross
The Rose team had already lost important points in the fight for the championship title against VfL Bochum (0-0) and this time too they didn’t give the impression that they had the necessary ideas to overcome the Mainz defense. The hosts remained the more dangerous team and were suddenly closer to their first win of the season than Leipzig to their third league success in a row.
And a little later, the people of Mainz were actually in each other’s arms, cheering. Karim Onisiwo came through strongly on the right side and crossed perfectly to Lee Jae-sung, whose header landed unstoppably in the Leipzig goal (77th). Mainz suddenly faced great success in the first game of the post-Svensson era. And Siewert with a perfect application to keep the coaching job?
Barreiro decides the game for Mainz
Yes – because a little later Onisiwo once again proved to be an excellent assist provider and this time served Leandro Barreiro, who nodded in from close range to make it 2-0 (81st). This goal, which was only awarded after the video images were viewed because it was initially ruled offside, actually made the team’s first win of the season perfect.
And the table made it clear how important it was for Mainz. The Rheinhessen pushed 1. FC Köln into last place and are now only one point behind the non-relegation places. Leipzig, on the other hand, missed catching up with league leaders Bayer Leverkusen and now has eight points less than the “Werkself”.
Mainz in Darmstadt, Leipzig against Freiburg
Mainz 05 will face SV Darmstadt away on matchday 11 (Saturday, November 11th, 2023 at 3:30 p.m.). One day later, Leipzig welcomes SC Freiburg (7:30 p.m.).