Bundesliga on Saturday
Surprise elf fails in the CL duel-DFB striker sees red
Updated on March 15th, 2025 – 5:56 p.m.Reading time: 3 min.
It looked good for Mainz for a long time, but then the team played outnumbered. For Bremen, it is going downhill again.
SC Freiburg spoiled FSV Mainz 05 the party for the 120th anniversary of the club. Julian Schuster’s team won a 2: 2 (0: 1) in the duel and remains the fifth three points on the third -placed opponent. With 42 points, the Breisgauer reached their yield from the previous season after 26 match days, but Noah Atubolu received a goal after the club record of 610 minutes.
National player Jonathan Burkardt (34th minute) and Andreas Hanche-Olsen (74.) had put the Mainz in the lead, but Joker Michael Gregoritsch (58th) and Lukas Kübler (79.) each equalized. Dominik Kohr (44th, according to video evidence) had flown off the square due to an emergency brake. While the Freiburg have been unbeaten for seven games, the team of coach Bo Henriksen managed the sixth game in a row without defeat. However, the Rheinhessen have been waiting for a win against Freiburg for nine duels.
For Mainz, the encounter of the 26th matchday was an anniversary game. The team ran in a special jersey, the fans showed a huge red choreo in the stands. “It’s a big game for all of us,” announced Coach Henriksen. Accordingly, a good dose of nervousness was felt in the initial phase. Both teams avoided the last risk in front of 33,305 spectators, only Christian Günter had a degree for Freiburg from a distance (7th).
In general, Mainz tried significantly more with the ball, but there was no accuracy and ideas in the last third. The lead goal came quite out of nowhere, Burkardt only had to push a flat cross from Anthony Caci over the line to his 15th season. Then, however, Kohr saw the red card due to the stop against Lucas Höler, Robin Zentner scratched the free kick from Vincenzo Grifo Stark from the angle (44.).
After the change, Freiburg completely took command, Mainz laced up deeply in his own half. First, the Gregoritsch, who had substituted during the break, failed to hunt on hundredweight (53rd), a short time later he nodded. With the exception of a few more counterattack, the pressure remained great – and the Mainz goalkeeper came into the focus almost permanently. He parried against Höler and Patrick Osterhage within seconds (63.), again against Höler (64th) and Grifo (68th). Instead, on the other hand, Hanche-Olsen struck a standard with a head-just like Kübler.
Borussia Mönchengladbach’s away experts are becoming more and more a candidate for European places. At Werder Bremen, the Gladbacher won 4: 2 (2: 2) after a spectacle thanks to triple scorer Alassane Pléa.
The French attacker could not be stopped and brought Borussia to the winning road with his goals (7th, penalty/28th/47th). In addition, he put on a further goal of national strikers Tim Kleindienst (81st). Romano Schmid (39.) and André Silva (45.+1, penalty) were successful for Bremen. National player small service saw the yellow-red card in added time.