1. FSV Mainz 05 beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 for the second time in two weeks on Sunday. The 05ers emerged victorious in the friendly, their first game of the calendar year, ahead of their clash against VfL Bochum at the MEWA ARENA. The 120-minute-long match kicked off at the Bruchwegstadion, though bad weather meant the second half had to be played on the training pitches next to the stadium. Dominik Kohr was at the double for Mainz, with Phillipp Mwene also getting his name on the scoresheet, while Nathaniel Brown netted Frankfurt’s only goal.
The hosts got off to a better start, looking determined and showing that the short winter break had not slowed the momentum they gained at the back end of 2024. That being said, clear chances proved hard to come by in the opening stages. In contrast to the Bundesliga clash between the two sides a couple of weeks ago, it would be the 05ers who set the tone and limited the Eagles’ opportunities to play their game. The visitors would end up having the first noteworthy opening, though - Omar Marmoush tried his luck from around 20 yards out, but his effort flew wide of the target (20’). Chances remained a rarity in the damp conditions at the Bruchweg, and it was clear that both sides would have to be clinical in front of goal if they wanted to come away with victory. This is exactly what the 05ers showed as the first half progressed, finding some space in the opposition half after some intricate build-up play allowed them to bypass Frankfurt’s high press. Armindo Sieb played Kohr through on goal, and the midfielder kept his cool to slot it past Kevin Trapp and give the hosts the lead. Frankfurt would have a promising opportunity to get back on level terms four minutes later in the form of a free kick. Robin Zentner was equal to set-piece specialist Marmoush’s effort, however (29’). Mainz continued to threaten even despite key players like Jonny Burkardt, Nadiem Amiri and Silvan Widmer not being on the pitch. Indeed, they doubled their advantage not long after Zentner denied Marmoush. Kaishu Sano, who once again looked impressive for FSV, found Mwene with a perfectly timed pass. The right-back gave Trapp no chance with a textbook finish to make it 2-0 to the 05ers. Frankfurt’s chances were few and far between in the first half, but they started to hit their stride as the first hour of play drew to a close. The away side almost got a goal back through Can Uzun, but the attacker’s shot took a deflection and narrowly missed the target (54’). Marmoush was thwarted once more by Zentner one minute later, as the keeper was not troubled too much by his attempt. In the closing stages of the first period, both sides found the back of the net. First, Kohr was played through on goal again – this time by Paul Nebel – and managed to bag his second of the game to cap off an impressive display (58’). Frankfurt fired back immediately, as Brown latched onto a cut-back from Marmoush and fired home to make it 3-1 going into the break (60’).
New-look teams struggle for chances
After the game was moved to one of the training pitches outside the Bruchweg and both sides made a number of changes, it developed into a hard-fought affair with a real lack of clear chances for either team. For the 05ers, U19 players Kacper Potulski and Mika Preßler were joined by Philipp Schulz and Jason Amann from the U23s, whereas Frankfurt head coach Dino Toppmöller opted for an XI of seasoned Bundesliga players for the second half. Despite the gulf in top-level experience between the two sides, Frankfurt struggled to break down the well-drilled Mainz team. Igor Matanovic could not convert a half-chance following a corner (72’), but the closest Frankfurt got to reducing the deficit came in the 95th minute. Hugo Ekitiké managed to get enough on Niels Nkounkou’s ball into the box, but Moritz Jenz was determined to keep FSV’s two-goal cushion intact and did so with a fantastic clearance off the line. For all their efforts, Nelson Weiper and Co. were likewise unable to add to their first-half tally, and Mainz came away with a well-deserved victory after 120 minutes of play.
Head coach Bo Henriksen explained that he was happy with his side’s performance after the game. “It was important for us to get some game time, keep fitness levels up, and come away with no injuries. We got some insight, too, like with Dominik Kohr playing in the middle of the park. On the whole, we played well, especially in the first 60 minutes. It was a training match – the game on Saturday against Bochum will be crucial. We’ll need to be powerful and press high. We’ve seen time and again that we’ll run into trouble if we don’t. Overall, we’re feeling good and playing nice football,” said the Dane.
Mainz 05 3-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
FSV: Zentner - Caci, da Costa, Bell, Jenz, Mwene - Sano, Kohr - Lee, Sieb, Nebel
Second half: Rieß (Batz) - Veratschnig, Schulz, Leitsch, Hanche-Olsen, Potulski - Barkok, Amann - Preßler, Weiper, Hong
Frankfurt: Trapp – Brown, Theate, Koch, Collins, Knauff – Höjlund, Dahoud – Chaibi, Uzun – Marmoush
Second half: Kaua Santos – Kristensen, Collins (75’ Chandler), Theate (75’ Fenyo), Nkounkou – Skhiri, Larsson, Götze, Bahoya – Matanovic, Ekitiké
Tore: 1-0 & 3-0 Kohr (21’ & 56’), 2-0 Mwene (45’), 3-1 Brown (58’)
Officials: Sebastian Hilsberg (Nico Dönges, Nabil Benazza)