Suat Serdar helped 1. FSV Mainz 05 to recover a point in their Bundesliga derby against Eintracht Frankfurt.
There had been poor in the first half with Stefan Bell inadvertently putting a cross from Marius Wolf into his own net.
Serdar came off the bench in the second half and made his vital contribution 14 minutes later, heading in a Yoshinori Muto cross.
Own goal the difference in poor first half
After victories in the DFB-Pokal in midweek, both teams made mass changes for the Rhine-Main Derby. Hosts Mainz brought in Robin Zentner, Abdou Diallo, Danny Latza, Pablo De Blasis and Muto, whilst David Abraham, Mijat Gacinovic, Marc Stendera and Ante Rebic all returned for Frankfurt.
Stendera, still working his way back from last season’s cruciate ligament injury, had a chance for the visitors in just the second minute, but he shot wide through the legs of a defender after the cross from Rebic.
After that though, both sides found it difficult to create many openings, although Frankfurt gradually grew stronger. Rebic would have a shot saved by Zentner, making his first start in goal in place of the injured René Adler, whilst David Abraham headed over a corner.
It took two desperate mistakes from Mainz though to gift them the opening goal with just under ten minutes remaining before the break. Daniel Brosinski spent way too long on the ball wide of his own box, eventually losing concentration and conceding possession to Marius Wolf. His cross was put in by an out-stretched, unfortunate Bell. In a game with a distinct lack of quality, it seemed almost inevitable that it would come that way.
Serdar inspires Mainz fightback
Rebic had a chance early in the second half denied to him by Zentner as Frankfurt looked to assert their dominance, but instead Mainz began to wake up the home crowd. A Brosinski cross came in to Muto, onside only due to a deflection, with his shot hitting the post. The ball then rebounded off Simon Falette, who only just scrambled it away on the line before it went in.
They were lucky then, and there were lucky again when Muto could have had not one but two penalties in a matter of seconds. Firstly Carlos Salcedo wrestled him down in the box, before Abraham also made excessive contact on the striker. Neither incident convinced Sascha Stegemann to point to the spot or even consult his video assistant.
The introduction of Serdar at the expense of Fabian Frei had also helped to liven them up. He would ultimately bring them level as well. Frankfurt failed to sufficiently clear their lines from a corner, Muto got a cross past Falette, finding Serdar to do the rest.
Neither sides had many chances to win it in a scrappy final 20 minutes. Bell’s header from a late free-kick was easily saved by Lukas Hrádecky, and after Mainz’s second half fightback, perhaps a draw was the right result.
The point was enough for Mainz to move up into eleventh, ahead of Hertha BSC, ahead of the rest of the weekend’s matches. Frankfurt, now unbeaten in four games, stay in seventh.