Mark Uth scores late winner as Hoffenheim fight back from two goals down to beat Mainz
Mark Uth scored in second-half stoppage time as Hoffenheim fought back from two goals down to win 3-2 at Mainz.
Mainz 2-3 Hoffenheim
Goals: 1-0 Latza (6'), 2-0 Muto (16'), 2-1 Amiri (23'), 2-2 Wagner (45+1'), 2-3 Uth (90+2')
In an astonishing first period, goals from Danny Latza and Yoshinori Muto gave the hosts a two-goal cushion inside the opening 16 minutes. Julian Nagelsmann’s side did not let their heads drop, however, Nadiem Amiri halving the deficit with a fierce shot just after the half-hour mark before Sandro Wagner’s second league goal in as many games restored parity in first-half stoppage time.
The second half witnessed less goalmouth action than the first, although Mainz twice went close to retaking the lead. A drilled Latza effort forced Oliver Baumann into a fingertip save with just under 20 minutes of normal time remaining, before Suat Serdar prodded inches wide of Baumann’s right-hand post not long afterwards. It was Hoffenheim who had the last laugh, though, Uth slotting home in the 92nd minute to earn the visitors all three points.
Man of the match
Uth’s remarkable start to the campaign shows no sign of abating. The Cologne-born striker’s fourth goal in his fifth Bundesliga appearance proved decisive at the OPEL Arena, lifting Nagelsmann's charges up to third in the table.
Match stats
- Mainz and Hoffenheim both scored with their first shots of the game.This was the first time the Zerofivers have taken the lead in a league match this season.All five of Latza’s Bundesliga goals to date have come at the OPEL ARENA.Muto has now scored four goals in six competitive games this season.Hoffenheim trailed Mainz 4-1 in last season’s corresponding fixture, but came back to draw 4-4.The last time they came back to win a game after trailing by two goals was in 2009 (in a 4-2 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach).
Line-ups
Mainz: Adler - Balogun (Maxim, 90+3'), Bell, Gbamin - Donati, Brosinski - Serdar, Latza - Öztunali (De Blasis, 80'), Fischer (Jairo, 67’) - Muto
Coach: Sandro Schwarz
Hoffenheim: Baumann - Nordtveit, Vogt, Hübner - Passlack (Demirbay, 46’), Schulz - Polanski (Kramaric, 55’) - Rupp, Amiri (Geiger, 76') - Uth, Wagner
Coach: Julian Nagelsmann