Foals show two faces
Gladbach only played one half against Mainz
04/03/2022, 7:25 p.m
Borussia Mönchengladbach dominated the game against FSV Mainz 05 in the first 45 minutes. The Foals deservedly went into the break with a lead. Then they watch Mainz. Keeper Sommer prevents bankruptcy. Both clubs are treading water in the no man’s land of the Bundesliga.
Lead for a long time, but only one point: Borussia Mönchengladbach carelessly gambled away the hoped-for liberation in the relegation battle. The Foals had to settle for a meager 1-1 (1-0) against FSV Mainz 05, which ended the mini series of two wins when coach Adi Hütter returned.
Breel Embolo (33rd) first scored for Borussia, which is not yet completely secured given the eight-point lead over the relegation place. Karim Onisiwo (73rd) managed to equalize after the break for the guests, who were getting stronger and stronger. Hütter was back on the bench after recovering from corona disease, his assistant Christian Peintinger had represented him brilliantly with two wins. For Mainz it was the ninth away game in a row without a win.
The 44,156 spectators, including the Borussia fans who had returned to the stadium, saw a fast-paced encounter between two enthusiastic teams right from the start. Lars Stindl’s return was particularly noticeable at Gladbach. After a long injury break, the captain was in the starting line-up for the first time since January 15 and impressed as a tireless driver. Mainz started the first of three away games within six days quite bravely even without the ailing Jonathan Burkardt, but the Hütter team had a lot more of the game. Above all, Alassane Plea proved to be a source of danger. The Frenchman, who had recently made it 1-0 three times in a row, missed the first big chance (15th).
Borussia remained the more alert team, but could not get through against the Mainz defense for a long time. That only changed with a perfectly executed attack on the already strong right flank, which national player Florian Neuhaus refined with a pass to Embolo. The Swiss scored his fifth goal of the season with an overview. In the second half, Mainz coach Bo Svensson brought on the German U21 captain Burkardt, and the hitherto harmless offensive immediately got new impetus. Barreiro hit the post with a powerful shot, and goalkeeper Yann Sommer made a sensational save when Burkardt took the shot (48′).
Mainz was now much better in the game and partially constricted Borussia in their own half. Because the hosts also played their counterattacks too imprecisely, the game now offered the tension that was so missing before the break. Onisiwo punished the harmless Gladbachers with a low shot into the far corner. In the closing stages, Sommer again made powerful saves against Burkardt and Jae-Sung Lee.