bundesliga

Mainz stun Borussia Dortmund to close on Bundesliga survival

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Mainz took a huge step towards securing their Bundesliga status for another season as goals from Jonathan Burkardt and Jean-Philippe Mateta saw them beat an out-of-sorts Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park.

Borussia Dortmund 0-2 Mainz
Goals: 0-1 Burkardt (33'), 0-2 Mateta (pen. 49')

Dortmund confiscated the ball in the early stages, enjoying up to 80 per cent of possession, but they failed to really trouble a well-drilled Mainz backline. Axel Witsel had an effort blocked after being teed up by Raphael Guerreiro, while the Portugal international also had a half-chance after some neat interplay with fellow wing-back Achraf Hakimi. Pierre Kunde had the first sniff for the visitors, but was let down by his touch inside the Dortmund area after a clever ball over the top from Danny Latza. Burkardt should then have done better when he was released by Mateta – getting his legs in a tangle as he tried to sneak past Hakimi – but the 19-year-old made up for it just after the half-hour, angling a header beyond Roman Bürki from Ridle Baku's inch-perfect cross to put Mainz ahead. Despite a front three of Jadon Sancho, Thorgan Hazard and Erling Haaland, Dortmund continued to look toothless in attack. Emre Can came closest to a BVB equaliser before the break, but couldn't muster enough power to head past Florian Müller from six yards out.

Things went from bad to worse for Dortmund at the start of the second half as Mainz were awarded a penalty: Karim Onisiwo unleashed a vicious long-range effort that Bürki could only parry, and Lukasz Piszczek tripped Latza inside the area as he looked to get to the rebound. Seconds after forcing a fine save from Bürki himself, Mateta swept past the BVB keeper from the spot to put the relegation-threatened 05ers firmly in the driving seat. Mateta found himself one-on-one with Mats Hummels shortly afterwards, but chose to go it alone instead of squaring for a teammate and the chance went begging. Dortmund continued to struggle in the final third, even if Brandt fired an effort just wide and Hakimi forced Müller to tip a well-struck free-kick over the bar. In the meantime Jean-Paul Boetius missed a golden opportunity to put the game to bed for Mainz, blazing over after another brilliant cross from Baku, before substitute Adam Szalai drew a one-handed save from Bürki. The visitors nevertheless held on for a precious 2-0 win, which leaves them needing two points from their last two games to ensure they'll stay in the top flight in 2020/21.

Match stats

  • Mainz youth product Burkardt opened his Bundesliga account in his 11th top-flight appearance.
  • Mainz have now converted all 27 of their penalties since May 2013, improving their all-time Bundesliga record.
  • Mateta converted his first Bundesliga penalty to end an 11-game scoring drought, moving onto three goals for the campaign.
  • The 05ers have now beaten Dortmund on two of their last three visits to the Signal Iduna Park. In May 2018, Baku was on the scoresheet as they ran out 2-1 winners.
  • Sancho has had a hand in 33 Bundesliga goals this season, scoring 17 and setting up another 16. Only Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski has more (31 goals, 3 assists).
  • Robin Quaison is Mainz's top scorer with 12, just five fewer than Sancho playing for a club at the other end of the table.

Watch: Boetius: "It's a massive win"

Line-ups

Dortmund: Bürki - Piszczek (c) (Schmelzer 54'), Can, Hummels - Hakimi, Brandt, Witsel, Guerreiro (Schulz 82') - Sancho (Morey 77'), Haaland, Hazard
Unused subs: Hitz, Rente, Balerdi, Bakir, Duman, Raschl
Out: Dahoud (knee), Delaney (muscular), Reus (groin), Reyna (illness), Zagadou (knee)
Coach: Lucien Favre

Mainz: Müller - Baku, St. Juste, Niakhate, Martin (Brosinski 84') - Kunde (Barreiro 75'), Latza (c) - Burkardt (Öztunali 67'), Boetius, Onisiwo (Ji 84') - Mateta (Szalai 75')
Unused subs: Dahmen, Quaison, Mwene, Hack
Out: Awoniyi (concussion), Fernandes (suspended), Zentner (knee)
Coach: Achim Beierlorzer

Watch: Bürki: "We have to focus up"