Late Nadiem Amiri penalty earns Mainz a draw at Wolfsburg
Nadiem Amiri's 90th-minute penalty secured Mainz a 1-1 draw against Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena, with his strike cancelling out Aaron Zehnter's opener.
Wolfsburg 1-1 Mainz
Goals: 1-0 Zehnter 9' (assist: Majer), 1-1 Amiri 90' (pen.)
Red cards: Svanberg 90'+10
Coming in to this encounter, Wolfsburg were looking to build on their impressive opening day victory at Heidenheim, while Mainz arrived at the Volkswagen Arena in high spirits after overturning a first-leg deficit against Rosenborg on Thursday to qualify for the UEFA Conference League.
The hosts had been struggling on home soil, going eight Bundesliga matches without a win at the Volkswagen Arena – one short of a new unwanted club record. Mainz, meanwhile, were formidable on their travels last season, picking up eight away victories, their best tally since the 2010/11 campaign.
Despite Mainz's early pressure, it was Wolfsburg who struck first in the ninth minute. Aaron Zehnter found space on the left side of the penalty area and his shot took a crucial deflection off Anthony Caci, wrong-footing Robin Zentner and nestling in the back of the net. It was Zehnter's first goal since joining from Paderborn in the summer.
Mainz responded with a couple of attempts, but neither Kaishu Sano nor Jae-sung Lee could find the target with their efforts. Dženan Pejčinović nearly doubled Wolfsburg's lead in the 27th minute, but his shot flashed just wide after he had cleverly worked space for himself in the box.
Mainz started the second half strongly as both Amiri and Dominik Kohr had efforts blocked as they pushed for an equaliser. As the match wore on, Mainz's pressure intensified and, in the 79th minute, they went agonisingly close when Kohr's header from Amiri's corner struck the inside of the post.
The equaliser finally arrived in the last minute of normal time after a VAR check confirmed Konstantinos Koulierakis had handled the ball in the area, before Amiri stepped up and confidently dispatched the penalty into the top corner past Kamil Grabara.
The drama wasn't over as Armindo Sieb struck the crossbar for Mainz prior to Mattias Svanberg's second yellow card - a minute after his first - reducing Wolfsburg to ten men for the final moments.
Man of the Match: Nadiem Amiri
Amiri delivered a captain's performance for Mainz, stepping up when it mattered most to convert the crucial penalty that earned his team a deserved point. Beyond the goal, the midfielder was at the heart of everything good about Mainz's play, taking three shots (joint-highest in the match) and creating several chances, including the corner that led to Kohr hitting the post.
Amiri showed remarkable composure despite being under pressure 22 times (the most of any player) and was instrumental in Mainz's improved second-half display, finishing with the highest fantasy manager points total (357) of any player.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Wolfsburg 0.72 - Mainz 2.02
Fastest player: Nikolas Veratschnig (Mainz), 35.67 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Aaron Zehnter (Wolfsburg), 7 percent
Most pressed player: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), 22 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Jae-sung Lee (Mainz), 2.7
Fantasy Heroes: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz, 357 Points), Aaron Zehnter (Wolfsburg, 237 Points), Anthony Caci (Mainz, 197 Points)
Related news
Who is Nadiem Amiri?
With Amiri returning to the Germany squad we look at everything there is to know about the Mainz midfielder.
Goretzka returns to Germany fold for Italy clashes
The Bayern midfielder’s impressive displays at club level have seen him recalled to Germany’s squad for the first time in two years.
Mainz triumph 2-0 over Stuttgart at home
Nelson Weiper and Anthony Caci both scored as Mainz overcame Stuttgart in a big game in the race for European qualification.