Mainz home and dry after Köln conquest
Mainz - 1. FSV Mainz 05 secured their top-flight status for next season with a 2-0 win over 1. FC Köln at the Coface Arena.
Cue Koo to secure Mainz's safety
Ja-Cheol Koo and Jairo Samperio netted the goals for Markus Schmidt's men to take them a point ahead of their rivals, who sealed their top-flight status a week ago and for whom it was ultimately a painless defeat.
The pre-match predictions may have been for a goalless draw between two sides with little left to play for this season, but the high entertainment value soon disproved that theory. Shinji Okazaki sent in the first effort on goal midway through the second half before Yuya Osako saw a goal ruled out for offside, going close again just before the interval.
Koo struck the opener early in the second half with a goal that was made in Asia. Joo-Ho Park's long ball was headed down by Okazaki for the South Korean to drill in and break the deadlock. Okazaki wasted a chance to double the hosts' lead shortly afterwards while the guests had a string of chances before Jairo put the game beyond them, converting after Thomas Kessler parried the ball out.
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