Freiburg spoil Mainz birthday celebrations

With Mainz celebrating their 120th birthday, fellow European hopefuls Freiburg were on hand to spoil the party as they played out a 2-2 draw.

A crucial clash in the race for European qualification saw third-placed Mainz host fifth-placed Freiburg on a special occasion, Mainz’s 120th anniversary, marked by a pristine white commemorative kit. With the stakes high, Mainz looked to dictate the tempo early on, controlling possession and probing Freiburg’s defensive structure.

Their persistence paid off in the 34th minute when Anthony Caci delivered a pinpoint low cross into the six-yard box, finding the ever-reliable Jonathan Burkardt. The Mainz talisman made no mistake, tapping home to send the home crowd into celebration.

Freiburg, however, thought they had a route back into the game just before halftime. A tussle between Dominik Kohr and Lucas Höler inside the box led to an initial penalty decision, but after a lengthy VAR review, the foul was deemed to have occurred just outside. The decision still proved costly for Mainz, as Kohr was shown a straight red card, reducing the hosts to ten men. Vincenzo Grifo stepped up for the resulting free kick, curling an effort toward goal, but Robin Zentner reacted superbly to parry the shot away.

As halftime approached, Freiburg sensed an opportunity against the shorthanded hosts, setting up an intense second half in this battle of European hopefuls.

In the ascendancy, it took Freiburg 12 second-half minutes to find their equaliser. After a fantastic ball from captain Christian Günter, substitute Michael Gregoritsch headed home with precision and power to spoil the Mainz party.

The ten men of Mainz, however, were able to gain back control of the encounter and retook the lead in the 74th minute as Andreas Hanche Olsen headed home after his side gained possession high up, taking advantage of Noah Atubolu seeing the ball fall out of his hands. 

Freiburg though, were able to draw themselves level five minutes later as Lukas Kübler tapped home from close range after Ritsu Doan slid the ball across the box to the onrushing right back who netted his 10th career goal in the Bundesliga. 

In the closing phase of what had been a tense encounter, both sides searched for a winner, however the scores remained at 2-2, with the result undoubtedly being better for Mainz given the circumstances.