Mainz 05 was rewarded with at least one point against Mönchengladbach thanks to a dream goal. Previously goalkeeper Robin Zentner had messed up. Borussia could be satisfied with the draw, but complained about two injuries and one dissatisfied goal scorer.
USatisfaction is definitely a positive characteristic in competitive sport. Want more, be ambitious. Florian Neuhaus meets the requirements, as he documented after the 1: 1 (1: 0) at Mainz 05.
In front of the maximum number of spectators of 25,000, the German international had brought the Gladbachers after a mistake by the Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner with a dusty rebound in the lead (38th). The deserved equalizer for Mainz in the hard-fought game succeeded Silvan Widmer (76th minute) with a remarkable shot in the corner of the goal.
The deserved equalization: Mainz’s Silvan Widmer circled the ball from the half-right position in the penalty area into the top left corner of the goal
Source: dpa / Uwe Anspach
“That was a great feeling for me. I’m all the more delighted that it was such a goal after all, where it doesn’t really depend on the footballing skills, but simply going through the will and the mental strength. That was important to me in the last few weeks. It’s not that easy. I have built up a lot here over three years, I think, “said Neuhaus, who most recently slipped into the reserve role and also addressed a few cautious critical words to his club:” I have now noticed for myself how fast it can go in professional football. Perhaps I would have liked a bit more support from the club. In professional football, this is perhaps a bit of wishful thinking.
However, he accepted the situation professionally and now wants to restore himself to his old status as a service provider: “I accept that, I just want to keep going. I am in constant contact with the trainer. He attests that I have had good training performances and I want to return to the team with good performances. “
A goal as a start: Florian Neuhaus wants to return to the starting line-up
Quelle: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
The Mainz game was a good start in this regard, but overall the Mönchengladbachers suffered a sensitive damper in the fight for a Champions League place. Mainz maintained fifth place in the table, Mönchengladbach improved to at least ninth place for the time being.
Stindl like Neuhaus only on the bench
The large number of spectators had initially messed up the usual processes of the guests. Because the Gladbachers were stuck in a traffic jam, they reached the stadium with a slight delay. That is not optimal because you don’t have the processes that you would like, said managing director Max Eberl. Yet he did not see this as a bad omen. “We came a little too late in the game against Bayern Munich and I think the effect wasn’t too bad afterwards,” he said. Mönchengladbach had won 5-0 against the German champions in the second round of the DFB Cup.
Contrary to Eberl’s hope, however, the team of coach Adi Hütter did not develop playfully at first. Without regular captain Lars Stindl, who was not in the starting line-up for the first time since May, the Gladbach team didn’t really get going. This was mainly due to the strong fighters and running strong Mainz, who disrupted the guests vehemently and early in the game.
The hosts, with which captain Moussa Niakhaté played from the start after a thigh injury healed, developed promising opportunities in contrast to the Gladbach team. However, both Jonathan Burkardt and Karim Onisiwo failed to hit the goal. In addition, Denis Zakaria, who was in the starting eleven despite gastrointestinal problems during the week, prevented further Mainz opportunities with great commitment.
After almost half an hour, the guests suffered twice as bad luck with injuries. First Nico Elvedi had to leave the pitch after a foul with an ankle injury and was replaced by Florian Neuhaus. Shortly thereafter, Breel Embolo limped off the field with a damaged thigh. In the 30th minute, the long-injured Marcus Thuram celebrated his comeback for him.
Early from the field: Breel Embolo injured himself in Mainz and had to be replaced
Source: dpa / Uwe Anspach
Eight minutes later, the handicapped Gladbacher took the surprising lead thanks to a mistake by Robin Zentner: The Mainz goalkeeper let a shot from Ramy Bensebaini ricochet off, the substitute Neuhaus dusted off from close range.
Mainz started the second half with a lot of momentum and had a good chance to equalize through Jae-Sung Lee with a long-range shot and Onisiwo. On the other hand, the guests tried to calm the game through ball relays, but with limited success. Mainz still had the more compelling opportunities, but both Alexander Hack and Burkhardt and Lee – also because Gladbach’s goalkeeper Yann Sommer parried brilliantly time and again. The Swiss was then powerless when his compatriot Widmer flipped the ball with his weaker foot to the well-deserved 1: 1 in the corner of the goal.
Closing words Neuhaus: “We take a 1-0 lead, but stop playing football a little in the second half. Mainz then put more and more pressure on and then deservedly made the compensation. “
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