How Phillip Tietz’s daughter inspired his brace in Mainz's win against Hoffenheim
Phillip Tietz has thanked his daughter after rediscovering his scoring touch with a brace in Mainz's 2-1 win at Hoffenheim.
When Tietz headed home from Phillipp Mwene’s cross after 13 minutes, he held up a picture to show the crowd as he celebrated. He then did the same as he grabbed the winner after 79 minutes as Mainz made it three Bundesliga wins in a row.
After the game, the 28-year-old German revealed exactly what the gesture was about.
"My daughter drew me a picture, and I’ve been carrying it with me since the last matchday. She told me it’s supposed to bring me a lot of luck to score goals again. And so I have my daughter to thank for that," he explained.
Watch: Tietz talks about his goalscoring inspiration
Tietz’s goals were his first since Mainz’s Matchday 19 win over Wolfsburg on 24 January, and it was his first brace since 2 March 2024, when he scored twice in Augsburg’s 6-0 Bundesliga win against Darmstadt.
Watch: Hoffenheim 1-2 Mainz
Tietz is now hoping his daughter can provide him with further inspiration in Mainz’s next game when they host French side Strasbourg in the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals.
"She'll have to magic something up for next week," he said after scoring his third and fourth competitive goals of the season against Hoffenheim.
Mainz are now up to ninth, nine points clear of the relegation zone, with six rounds of fixtures remaining.
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