Bastos spares Schalke's blushes
Mainz - 1. FSV Mainz 05 were denied victory for the second week in succession as FC Schalke 04 twice came from behind to claim a first point in three matches at the Coface Arena.
Bastos to the fore
Austrian international Andreas Ivanschitz broke the deadlock, sliding in after Nicolai Müller had burst past three Schalke defenders to provide the pull-back. It took the visitors until just before half-time to muster a response as Christian Wetklo could only parry Jermaine Jones' rasping shot from range, allowing Raffael to sneak in and tee-up Michel Bastos for a simple finish.
The half-time interval appeared to do did the visitors a world of good flew out of the blocks in the second half, but Julian Draxler squandered a gilt-edged opportunity when Wetklo got a toe to his close-range effort. The miss proved costly as Zdenek Pospech raced into the box at the other end, finishing expertly into the far corner post to restore Mainz's lead.
From there the hosts looked to be in control, but after Elkin Soto twice passed up the opportunity to grab a third, Mainz found themselves pegged back for a second time. 17-year-old Max Meyer showed composure beyond his years to pick out Bastos, who completed his brace with a fierce drive to spare Schalke's blushes.
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