Lucien Favre's Gladbach squander a two lead in ten minutes to draw the game 2-2 following two Raffael goals before Johannes Geis and Shinji Okazaki pulled two goals back to get the unlikeliest of draws.
In a first half dominated by Mainz – who had nine shots on goal – it was a surprise that they went in 1-0 at the break to a Raffael goal. The story of the first half was poor and a lack of clinical finishing on Mainz’s side and for the visiting Foals it’s the other way round, good and clinical finishing only managing two shots on goal but scoring their only shot on target.
The hosts Mainz started the brighter having numerous chances in the opening minutes Johannes Geis pulled the trigger from outside the box but he couldn’t keep the shot down and it flew off high and wide. Then Yunus Malli had a golden opportunity to open the scoring but the same old story for Mainz, he couldn’t keep the shot down. It was brilliant play from Mainz and Pablo De Blasis who set up the chance with his headed pass.
Christian Clemens had a chance to break the dead lock but he couldn’t pick out the far right corner. Minutes later, Stefan Bell had a chance but his shot from twenty yards was high and wide. Johannes Geis had Mainz’s only shot on target in the first half, Yann Sommer brilliantly saving in the bottom left corner after a quarter of an hour.
Minutes later after Geis’ shot, it was 1-0 to Gladbach. Massively against the run of play but Raffael’s header met Ibrahima Traore’s cross and headed goalwards bouncing before Loris Karius to Mainz ‘keeper could get enough behind it and the hosts were behind.
Minutes before the half an hour mark, Pablo De Blasis tried catching Sommer off-guard going towards his near post but Sommer was alert and saw the shot go wide of the target. After half an hour, Mainz came agonizingly close through Okazaki, he rattled the bar from just six yards out from Johannes Geis’ cross.
Gladbach had a chance with eleven minutes till the break, Fabian Johnson set Max Kruse through, he bared down on goal one-on-one with Karius he tried placing it round the goalkeeper but got too much on the strike and his chance trickled wide.
That was all the action for the first half, the 05ers dominating Favre’s side but still couldn’t find a way to test Sommer.
BroSinski with a long diagonal ball to Hofmann who’s left footed strike was well saved by Sommer in the bottom corner.
Mainz were dominating again but on sixty-eight minutes again it was the Brazilian who added to his goal in the first half, Fabian Johnson broke on the left beating Broinski and cutting back, Max Kruse dummied the cut back and there was Raffael to tap in past Karius.
Johannes Geis pulled a goal back for Mainz, quite magnificiently at that. He went over the wall, Sommer was wrong footed and could only get a slight hand but it wasn’t enough.
Immediately from the goal, Xhaka plays through Kruse who springs the offside, he went one-one-one with Karius again but once again he was denied, this time the post coming to Die Nullifier’s saviour. Granit Xhaka met Max Kruse’s cross with his head but he could only head it straight at Loris Karius.
Mainz equalised with thirteen minutes left to play. A long throw was partly cleared by Roel Brouwers but Stefan Bell was alert to head to the back post, Yann Sommer came and couldn’t get to it and Shinji Okazaki was there to head home. Then, Julian Baumgartlinger received the ball following some brilliant build up play from Mainz, Baumgartligner was teed up and he unleashed a rocket but it could only whistle past the post.
With three minutes to go, Johannes Geis' delivery was met by Okazaki but Sommer was equal to make an outstanding diving save. There was even more unease for Gladbach, it was real life pinball in the Gladbach area. Koo was free are the back post his shot was blocked then moments later it was blocked again. Then another Geis long throw was headed to Baumgartlinger who failed to keep his shot down and referee Marco Fritz brought a close to the game.