Legendary farewell for a legendary stand

FSV’s fans bid farewell to the legendary Südtribüne on Saturday afternoon as Mainz overcame third-division side MSV Duisburg 2-0 on the pitch thanks to two goals from the penalty spot from Tom Krauß. The stands of the former Bundesliga home ground shook for one last time due to the fans’ singing, who also got on well with Duisburg’s travelling supporters. The matchday programme which accompanied the game was attended by Mainz legend Jürgen Klopp, providing the perfect setting for the friendly. The former 05er coach came to say farewell to the stand and to pay a visit to his adoring fans in Mainz.

When faced with the sight of the choreography in the stands, Klopp, along with the over 4,000 fans present, appeared to get goosebumps shortly ahead of kick-off as he took a few minutes to enjoy the last such exhibition from the Südtribüne at Mainz’s Bruchwegstadion. 

Jürgen Klopp reminisced about the past and fully enjoyed his trip to his old home

Strong opening to the game

FSV began the game on the front foot and created a multitude of clearcut chances in the opening minutes. After Danny da Costa found the side netting following a corner from Tom Krauß, and the corner taker then fired wide from Marco Richter’s cut back two minutes later, referee Tom Bauer pointed to the spot and awarded Mainz a penalty as Rolf Fetscher brought Richter to ground (4’). Krauß picked up the ball and converted the spot-kick, registering his first goal in Mainz colours since arriving in the summer. In the following stages, the guests grew into the game and had a chance to equalise through ex-Bundesliga striker Alexander Esswein, although Daniel Batz got both hands to it and made the save (11’). After that, there was little action in front of either goal, which had absolutely no influence on the brilliant atmosphere. Richter tried his luck from distance for the hosts in the 17th minute, but MSV goalkeeper Maximilian Braune was able to make the save, before a free-kick from Tim Köther hit Mainz’s crossbar nine minutes later. The game had now opened up and the third-division side played their part. After a positive opening half an hour, Batz denied Phillip König the equaliser with a top-class reflex save after the Duisburg man had broken through on goal (34’). At the other end of the pitch, Danny Schmidt had a clear chance to double the hosts’ lead from Danny da Costa’s low cross, but his effort was straight at Braune (37’). The 05ers retained their narrow lead until the whistle blew for half time.

Krauß seals the deal

Richter’s shot from 20 metres in the 54th minute was the first big chance of the second half, but Duisburg’s substitute goalkeeper Dennis Smarsch was equal to it. Marc Richter replaced Dominik Kohr after a good hour’s work and played a crucial part in making it 2-0 shortly afterwards. The U23 player latched onto a pass from his namesake Marco and was brought down after bursting into the box, winning FSV’s second penalty of the game in the 63rd minute. The result was the same, with Krauß stepping up and converting once again. There was a nervous moment about ten minutes later, as Hamza Anhari found himself one-on-one against Rieß, but his shot went just wide of the post. However, conceding a goal wouldn’t have dampened the high spirits in the Südtribüne this afternoon. The unfaltering Mainz supporters burst into song every now and then, with both old and new songs part of their repertoire as they had a back-and-forth sing-along with the roughly 300 travelling Duisburg fans. The final whistle marked the end of the game, but the party continued on afterwards. After the full-time whistle, fans from both teams celebrated with their respective clubs and got in the mood for an evening at the Bruchweg, with no end in sight.

Bo Svensson spoke after the game. “When I played at the Bruchwegstadion for the first time as a player, I felt how special the club is – and this stand reflects that. I remember a lot of highlights. It wasn’t easy to play in these conditions. The first half was okay; the second half was more like walking football. You could see how hot it was and there wasn’t much intensity to the game. We’re missing a lot of players. Some players got some important game time,” our head coach said.

MAINZ 05 - MSV DUISBURG 2-0

Mainz 05: Batz (46‘ Rieß) - da Costa, van den Berg (84‘ Hartmann), Bell, Mamutovic (76‘ Tim Müller), Kraft (64‘ Wilhelm) - Kohr (61‘ Marc Richter), Krauß, Papela - Richter, Schmidt (64‘ Mata)
MSV: Braune - Senger, Castaneda, Köpke, Feltscher, Köther, Stierlin, Mai, König, Bitter, Esswein

Goals: 1-0, 2-0 Krauß (4‘, Penalty, 63’, Penalty)
Attendance: 4,005
Referee: Tom Bauer (Jan-Vincent Ritter, Jannick Ziehmer)