And another evening when the football professionals of FSV Mainz 05 left the pitch with long faces. They also failed to end their winless streak against Union Berlin on Wednesday; the 1-1 draw in the catch-up game against Union Berlin did not help the second-to-last in the table advance in the fight against relegation.
“That’s disappointing,” said defensive man Tom Krauss, commenting on the result. “We need threes, otherwise we can’t get out of there.” The Mainz team seemed to be on the right track – they had taken the lead for the first time since the game in Hoffenheim at the end of November. However, it didn’t last long.
What happened in the arena at the Europakreisel for a long time from the 37th minute onwards had nothing to do with football. Players from both teams stood around in groups, others chatted with the referee, warmed up on the spot or fought against the unpleasant cold with circling arms. The reason: In several stages, Union fans threw tennis balls onto the lawn out of dissatisfaction with the DFL’s investor plans (“You’re destroying our sport”), just as the supporters of their unloved city rival had done at the weekend.
Mainz anger over equalization
The Mainz team apparently coped better with the forced break: When the game continued with 13 minutes of stoppage time, they won a corner that Nadiem Amiri hit at the first post, where Jonathan Burkardt made a running run for the header and the ball into the far corner of the Berlin goal extended. “We just have to take a 1-0 score like that into halftime,” said Tom Krauss later, citing a sticking point as to why nothing came of the second win of the season.
With the last action before the break, the Berliners equalized. After a throw-in on the right, a very high cross from Janik Haberer fell to the second post, where Robin Gosens pushed the ball into the near corner. Robin Zentner did not manage to close the gap between himself and the aluminum, Danny da Costa did not disturb the national player’s finish. “We should have put pressure on the cross giver,” complained coach Jan Siewert.
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Da Costa was one of three new players in Mainz’s starting lineup compared to the Bremen game last Saturday. Coach Siewert also brought in Edimilson Fernandes and Ludovic Ajorque, replacing Silvan Widmer and Phillipp Mwene in the back four and Jessic Ngankam up front.
The game seemed to be coming to an early end for the tall French striker: after a corner in the tenth minute, he was hit in the face by Robin Knoche while attempting a header and had to be treated for a badly bleeding nose, but was able to continue. Siewert and 05 sports director Martin Schmidt discussed the missing penalty kick with referee Martin Petersen after the final whistle. “I have no understanding why the penalty is not given,” said the visibly excited coach at the press conference.
Siewert encourages the fans
The scene was one of several excitements in the opening phase, in which the Berliners initially became dangerous: Benedict Hollerbach tested goalkeeper Zentner with a shot from 15 meters, Kevin Volland volleyed a cross with his outside instep, the ball bounced back off the underside of the crossbar in the field.
On the rain-soaked lawn, where the fate of many a pass was determined by puddles, Mainz went on the offensive in the ninth minute: both Sepp van den Berg and Leandro Barreiro were denied by keeper Rönnow after a corner; Coach Siewert used the first approaches to the goal to encourage the main stand to cheer on by waving his arms – not for the last time.
Biggest chance for Onisiwo
The Berliners recorded more shots in the first half, 05 goalkeeper Zentner was challenged more than Union goalkeeper Rönnow on the other side, without any offensive fireworks being in question. After the break, Widmer came on for da Costa at Mainz, and Siewert also switched to a five-man chain with Tom Krauß, who had moved back from the six-man position. And his people continued to play consistently forward, Rönnow just managed to fend off a Widmer header with one arm (52′).
Karim Onisiwo’s biggest chance to take the lead again came unexpectedly after a ricochet from Berlin’s Aissa Laidouni – the striker put the header from five meters next to the goal.
