Hoffenheim 1-2 Mainz
Goals: 0-1 Glatzel (1’), 1-1 Bebou (39’), 1-2 Kohr (41’)

It took less than 30 seconds for the game to spark to life when Robert Glatzel dispossessed Chris Richards on the edge of the Hoffenheim box and fired ruthlessly past Oliver Baumann. It set the tone for the opening stage as the Cardiff City-owned striker than forced the TSG goalkeeper into a strong save before Jerry St. Juste put a header wide at the ensuing corner, all inside four minutes. The home side should’ve had an equaliser with their first attack of note when Marco John squared for Ihlas Bebou, but the Togo international somehow put the ball over the bar from a matter of yards out. Mainz’s aggressive press was working well as they carved out chances, but Richards and Bebou combined to make amends as the American curled a long ball down the left, which the striker buried for his seventh of the season. Parity lasted only two minutes, though, as Dominik Kohr headed home his first Mainz goal from Jean-Paul Boetius’ cross after a short corner shortly before the break.

Baumann was again busy to start with, intercepting crosses and denying Boetius from close range, but it remained open at both ends. Andrej Kramaric had a quiet first half but was finally into the action when Bebou picked him out with a cross, but Hoffenheim’s all-time top scorer flicked his stooping header narrowly wide. In contrast to the opening 45 minutes, though, the second turned out to be much tighter. Substitute Robin Quaison twice had opportunities to wrap things up but had his efforts blocked and saved, while St. Juste again failed to get a telling touch on a corner. In the end, it didn't matter as Bo Svensson's side saw out the game to move out of the bottom two for the first time since Matchday 10. It's only the third matchday all season where they've ended it above the bottom three.

TSG Hoffenheim Hoffenheim - M05 Mainz Mainz

Mainz out of drop zone with Hoffenheim win