Mainz overpower Hamburg to make it three games unbeaten
Mainz made it three Bundesliga games unbeaten on Matchday 8, Sandro Schwarz's side putting in a fine second-half showing to emerge 3-2 winners against Hamburg.
Mainz 3-2 Hamburg
Goals: 1-0 Maxim (2'), 1-1 Walace (9'), 2-1 Bell (52'), 3-1 Latza (58'), 3-2 Salihovic (pen., 90+2')
Despite Mainz leaving out top scorer Yoshinori Muto, it only took Sandro Schwarz's side two minutes to take the lead: Levin Öztunali's clever pass found Giulio Donati, whose equally clever cutback was converted coolly by Alexandru Maxim. The hosts' weaknesses defending set-pieces were again exposed soon after, however, when Walace capitalised on a loose clearance to lash in Hamburg's first goal since Matchday 2. From that point on, the visitors were dominant and should have gone ahead in the 42nd minute, only for Andre Hahn to shoot against the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Man of the match
Although not on the score sheet, Öztunali was irrepressible for Mainz, playing a key role in his side's opener and delivering the corner from which Bell headed the 05ers back into the lead. The 21-year-old is flourishing this season and Hamburg will be ruing the 2013 decision to allow him to leave.
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Line-ups
Mainz: Adler - Donati, Bell (c), Diallo, Brosinski - Latza, Gbamin - De Blasis, Maxim (Serdar, 61'), Öztunali (Kodro, 88') – Quaison (Muto, 68')
Coach: Sandro Schwarz
Hamburg: Mathenia - Diekmeier (c), Jung, Mavraj, Sakai - Ekdal, Walace (Schipplock, 66') - Hahn, Hunt - Ito (Kostic, 55'), Wood (Salihovic, 79')
Coach: Markus Gisdol
Match stats
- Maxim's goal was his first for Mainz since joining from Stuttgart in the summer.Mainz's opener was their quickest Bundesliga goal since February 2015, when Elkin Soto scored in the first minute of an eventual 4-2 defeat at Borussia Dortmund.Walace's goal was Hamburg's first in 458 minutes of football.Three of Latza's four goals from outside the box have come against Hamburg keeper Mathenia; the Mainz midfielder netted a hat-trick against HSV last season.Mainz midfielder Öztunali is the grandson of Uwe Seeler, widely regarded as Hamburg's greatest-ever player.As a Bundesliga coach, Markus Gisdol has never won in Mainz.