Karneval joy in Mainz as Amiri downs Augsburg

Mainz claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Augsburg this afternoon, extending their winning run to three matches and completing the league double over the Fuggerstädter.

In front of a vibrant Karneval atmosphere at the Mewa Arena, Nadiem Amiri proved decisive, converting two penalties to secure another valuable three points for Urs Fischer’s side.

The hosts made a dream start, being awarded a penalty inside five minutes. Elvis Rexhbecaj’s attempted clearance turned into a wild swing that caught Stefan Bell inside the area, with the referee hardly hesitating before pointing to the spot. Amiri stepped up and, for the second consecutive week, confidently hammered the ball straight down the middle to give Mainz an early lead.

Augsburg gradually found their footing around the 20-minute mark and began to threaten. Alexis Claude-Maurice came close with a swerving effort from distance that nearly caught Daniel Batz out, before the goalkeeper recovered to palm the ball away. Moments later, Mert Kömür burst past Bell at the byline and tried his luck at the near post, but Batz once again stood firm.

Mainz regained control as the half drew to a close, though they were unable to carve out another clear-cut opening and went into the break holding a slender one-goal advantage.

The 05ers emerged strongly after the restart and almost doubled their lead within minutes. Jae-Sung Lee surged down the right before finding Amiri, who teed up Silas, but last week’s match-winner could only fire straight at Finn Dahmen from close range. Soon after, Mainz poured forward again, yet a mix-up between Amiri and Silvan Widmer allowed Augsburg to scramble clear.

The decisive moment arrived with just under ten minutes remaining, as Mainz were awarded a second penalty. Anton Kade followed Amiri into the area before clipping the midfielder from behind, and after dusting himself off, Amiri calmly slid his spot-kick under Dahmen to seal the result.

Augsburg offered little in response as Mainz continued to apply pressure in the closing stages, seeing out a convincing 2-0 win with relative ease.

The victory lifts Mainz up to 14th in the table and underlines their strong momentum under Urs Fischer. Augsburg, meanwhile, suffer their first defeat since early January and drop to 13th.