Burkardt & Zentner lead FSV to three points at the Millerntor

1. FSV Mainz 05 secured a deserved 3-0 away win at FC St. Pauli on Saturday evening, thanks to a brace from captain Jonny Burkardt, Armindo Sieb’s second goal in Mainz colours and another brilliant performance from Robin Zentner. The scoreline read 2-0 in the 05ers’ favour after just 16 minutes, but following this early quick-fire double, they had to withstand a period of pressure from the hosts until the break. After the restart, they gave hardly anything away and chose the perfect moment to secure the win. All three goals were finished with supreme quality.

Bo Henriksen made three changes to the side defeated by Heidenheim. Maxim Leitsch filled in for Andreas Hanche-Olsen at centre-back, due to the Norwegian’s suspension following a red card. Nadiem Amiri returned from his one-match ban to replace Silvan Widmer, while Armindo Sieb was preferred over Hyunseok Hong.

FSV make a lightning-fast start before Zentner’s time to shine

FSV made a vastly improved start to the game against the side from the north in comparison to how they began at home a week earlier. Hence, the early lead came as little surprise after just under five minutes. Following the clearance after a corner kick, Phillipp Mwene moved the ball on again, finding captain Burkardt with a precise and considered delivery. The striker reacted quickly, deciding to use the back of his head to loop his attempt over keeper Nikola Vasilj, making it 1-0 to the visitors (5’). While this goal did visible good for the 05ers, who had been struggling of late, the goal also had an impact on the hosts. It was the first they had conceded after two consecutive clean sheets. Captain Jackson Irvine unleashed a shot from 25 yards unchallenged after twelve minutes, but he was well off target. That may have served as a small warning from the home team, however the visitors certainly had the right answer, capitalising on a mistake from the hosts. Eric Smith played the ball out towards his right-hand side but only directly into the feet of Amiri, whose second touch was a perfect pass into the path of Sieb, who then controlled with no less quality, setting up an uncomplicated finish from 18 yards out for an early 2-0 lead (16’). What sounded like a reassuring advantage was by no means a foregone conclusion, not least in part due to the recent memories of the nervy match in Augsburg.

Without a doubt, the remainder of the first half did resemble that previous away match 15 days ago, and not just because of the identical goalscorers. St. Pauli grew stronger, created chance after chance and slowly warmed up Robin Zentner. After 24 minutes, the visitors’ shot-stopper was on hand to deny a superb effort from Maximilian Eggestein. Four minutes later, it was Oladapo Afolayan who via his deflected shot also met his match in Zentner (28’). During this phase, the 05ers focused solely on managing the lead, rarely having phases of sustained possession or any shots. As a result, the pressure from the newly-promoted side increased as they sought an equaliser. However, that was not to come before the break despite further good opportunities. Manolis Saliakas failed to score in the 32nd minute and Burkardt blocked a shot from Elias Saad in stoppage time at the end of the half. Mainz had been fortuitous to survive the latter stages of the first period unscathed, with Zentner playing no small role in keeping the opponent out.

FSV steady themselves and counter-attack at speed

Both sides emerged from the locker rooms unchanged, however FSV now pressed higher up the pitch than before meaning the hosts’ period of pressure could not simply be reinitiated. Nevertheless, the away side were often static in possession or losing the ball too easily, resulting in energy-sapping recovery runs. The increased effort did pay off, though, as the new style of play found the hosts increasingly unnerved and now struggling to find a way through. It also just seemed to be an evening where the 05ers’ transition play was at its most clinical. After just over an hour, Leitsch won the ball just outside his own six-yard box. Sieb then passed to Amiri, who switched gear at lightning speed, setting Burkardt up to run against Smith from the halfway line. The latter had just as little chance as Vasilj did in goal earlier in the match, and when the striker did get onto the ball, he finished coolly for 3-0 after 62 minutes. After that, St. Pauli seemed to finally accept defeat and created hardly any further scoring opportunities. In the 65th minute, Paul Nebel came on for Sieb to provide a fresh forward out-ball. Five minutes later it was Mwene who, after a fine Burkardt pass, aimed for the corner of the net but missed the chance to really make sure of things ahead of time (70’).

What had looked like being a nail-biting affair at times before the break turned into an increasingly intelligent and balanced display from Henriksen’s team. St. Pauli only managed their first real opportunity of the second half very late on when Irvine failed to put the ball on target with a header from 11 yards out (84’). The third Mainz goal had effectively pulled the plug on their opponents and set themselves up for a deserved away win, which the 3,000 or so travelling Mainz fans celebrated euphorically. The only dampener on the evening was Dominik Kohr’s fifth yellow card in six matches shortly before the end of normal time. However, this was not to change the fact that the Mainz side playing in all white were able to clinch their second win of the season, taking their tally to eight points from their opening six games, climbing temporarily to tenth spot.

Following the international break, FSV’s next challenge will arrive in the form of a visit from Leipzig to the MEWA ARENA. 05ers legend Marco Rose will be in the away dug-out.