Mainz and Heidenheim deliver the expected intense duel. Thanks to their success, the Rheinhessen hands the Red Lantern over to their opponents.
Mainz and Heidenheim deliver the expected intense duel. Thanks to their success, the Rheinhessen hands the Red Lantern over to their opponents.
At the end of the Bundesliga first half of the season, 1. FSV Mainz 05 defeated 1. FC Heidenheim 2:1 (1:0). Silvan Widmer gave the hosts the lead after half an hour, Nadiem Amiri added shortly after the break (48th minute). Stefan Schimmer made the connection a minute after coming on as a substitute (60′).
“Relief, pure joy,” said Nadiem Amiri in the Sportschau interview after the final whistle. “We finally managed to take a lead again over time.” However, it was clear to the Mainz player that the success against FCH was ultimately shaky: “In the end we had extreme problems, we have to analyze that very hard.”
At FCH, however, there was disappointment. “I think we played a good away game and controlled the opponent. Apart from a long-range shot, Mainz didn’t have a chance to score. We were able to keep the pressure off and had a big chance ourselves before the 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the penetration,” said FCH coach Frank Schmidt.
The first few minutes showed what the spectators could expect that evening: intensity and tough duels. Less than a minute had been played when Nadiem Amiri was warned by referee Sven Jablonski for a rustic entry. The first chance to score belonged to Mainz. Nicolas Veratschnig forced FCH keeper Diant Ramaj to make his first save with his powerful long-range shot (8th). On the other hand, Mikkel Kaufmann robustly beat Dominik Kohr after a long ball, but then shot wide from the edge of the penalty area (11th).
Gimber fails because of Batz – Widmer scores
Otherwise, FCH concentrated more on defense and left the midfield to Mainz. Although the 05ers were committed to the offensive around central leader Philipp Tietz, the hosts were initially unable to pose any great danger. The guests then settled around Mainz’s penalty area, but Marvin Pieringer’s finish didn’t pose any problems for Daniel Batz (26′). Two minutes later it became much more dangerous: But the Mainz keeper also parried Dominik Gimber’s shot from close range.
In the middle of Heidenheim’s efforts, Mainz struck. FCH keeper Ramaj made a bad pass in the build-up, Jae-sung Lee quickly switched gears and crossed directly to Widmer, who hit a free-standing volley to take the lead. “We repeatedly play the ball into the opponent’s feet, like we did against Cologne. Lee does an outstanding job,” said Schmidt. Heidenheim tried to react, but continued to struggle on the offensive. On the other side, Tietz had the chance to make it 2-0, but the attacker put his diving header past the far post after strong preparatory work from Kohr (37th).
Amiri steps up for Mainz 05
The second section began with Mainz attacking – which was quickly rewarded. After FCH had failed to clear the ball several times, Tietz served Amiri with a clever pass in the penalty area and the national player hit the ball dryly into the far corner. Heidenheim was now shocked, Armindo Sieb had the next big chance, but Ramaj made a brilliant save (52′). A minute later, Widmer had a completely free shot at the second post, but the Swiss missed.
Out of the blue, Heidenheim came back into the game. After an intercepted long ball, the guests countered quickly. Batz was able to deflect Ibrahimovic’s flick aside, but Schimmer, who had just been substituted, was spot on and reduced the score to 1:2. Three minutes later, Ibrahimovic scored again, but this time he was decisively blocked. The FCH stayed on the trigger, Sirlord Conteh volleyed in the middle of the penalty area, but didn’t hit the ball properly (65th).
Mainz takes the lead to the finish
The Mainz team had now completely lost the thread offensively, FCH was clearly in control. Omar Traoré was allowed to move unhindered towards the penalty area, but his shot lacked precision (71′). Then some relief for the Mainz team. Ramaj reached out and punched past a long ball, but Tietz’s header went about a meter over the goal. (79.). Otherwise almost only FCH played. Five minutes in, Adrian Beck scored from 16 meters and the deflected ball hit the crossbar. The score remained 2-1 for Mainz until the final whistle.
With the victory, Mainz handed over the Red Lantern to FCH. Both teams now have twelve points and are level with FC St. Pauli in the relegation zone. However, Hamburg will still play against VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday and also have the catch-up game against RB Leipzig in hand.
Mainz and FCH Playing away
The Bundesliga continues for both teams on Saturday. Heidenheim will play against VfL Wolfsburg, Mainz will face 1. FC Köln. Both games kick off at 3:30 p.m.
