Mainz and Borussia Mönchengladbach secure Bundesliga survival on Matchday 32
Relief swept through both Mainz and Mönchengladbach on Sunday. A 2-1 win for the former over St. Pauli, coupled with Borussia Mönchengladbach’s 1-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund, ensured both clubs will remain in Germany’s top flight after turbulent campaigns.
At various times this season, the long-standing status of Mainz and Borussia Mönchengladbach as Bundesliga clubs has been under severe threat. For Mainz, relegation looked like a near-guarantee after 13 matchdays.
Rock bottom at the beginning of December, club chiefs decided to appoint former Union Berlin boss Urs Fischer as their new head coach. The transformation was almost immediate. An away draw at champions Bayern Munich was followed by an upturn in form that saw the side lose just one of their next seven. Further to this, Mainz also defied the odds by getting to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League, with their progress eventually halted by Ligue 1 club Strasbourg.
Watch: St. Pauli 1-2 Mainz
It's been a season of two halves for Mainz, who showed just how much they've improved under Fischer against Pauli on Matchday 32.
A victory against Alexander Blessin's side would secure their status as a Bundesliga club for another season and, in the process, push Pauli ever closer to the automatic relegation spots. The fact that the 05ers had the chance to do so with two matchdays to spare is a testament to the work Fischer has done at the club since his arrival late last year.
His influence on the side was on full display at the Millerntor this weekend. Mainz squeezed the life out of Pauli, scoring twice on the counter while reducing the hosts to a handful of set-piece chances at the other end. Mainz won 2-1 thanks to goals from Phillip Tietz and Phillipp Mwene, but in truth, the scoreline greatly flattered Pauli.
The performance, as much as the result, will give Mainz and Fischer plenty to be optimistic about heading into next season.
A few hours later on Matchday 32, it was Gladbach's turn to try and book their place in the 2026/27 Bundesliga. They took on a Borussia Dortmund side with little to play for other than pride, having already lost out on this season's league title to Bayern.
The match itself proved to be a close contest, with the scoreline stubbornly deadlocked at 0-0 heading into the final moments. That was until Haris Tabaković - who else - popped up with a match-winner in the 88th minute for Gladbach. The three points on home soil were all important for Eugen Polanski's men, who, like Mainz, have now accumulated enough to stave off relegation.
Watch: Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-0 Borussia Dortmund
While Polanski didn't quite walk into a situation as dire as Fischer did this season, the former Gladbach midfielder certainly had a daunting task on his hands in September of last year. Having been appointed as interim Gladbach head coach after Gerardo Seoane's dismissal, the 40-year-old's first job was simple - win a Bundesliga game.
That was something Gladbach had failed to do in each of their first six matches of the season. Polanksi did exactly that, guiding Die Fohlen to three wins in his first three Bundesliga games by a combined scoreline of 10-1.
One of Polanski's biggest calls upon joining Gladbach was putting faith in striker Tabaković. Absent from the starting XI for three of the first four matches of the season, the Bosnian forward has gone on to start all but one game since the early-season coach change. He has rewarded Polanski's faith and then some by scoring 12 Bundesliga goals this term.
Watch: Tabaković reacts to Gladbach win against Dortmund
Fischer, too, has been the beneficiary of a striker shake-up. The arrival of Tietz from Augsburg in January proved to be inspired, as the powerful forward has been a key factor in the side's revival. Four goals and three assists in a Mainz shirt have already gone some way towards repaying the faith the club showed in the 28-year-old.
Both clubs have ultimately arrived at the same destination via slightly different routes. Mainz’s resurgence has been driven by managerial intervention and a clear tactical reset, while Gladbach’s survival has hinged on timely results and resilience in high-stakes matches against regional rivals like Cologne and Dortmund.
For Mainz, their strong finish to the season validates Fischer’s steady influence and offers hope of another European push next term. For Gladbach, it instead provides a platform to regroup after a tumultuous season – and build towards a brighter future.
