1. FSV Mainz 05 - Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Sports

Match finished

17/05/2025 13:30

2 : 2

News
1. FSV Mainz 05

Key defender Dominik Kohr has ligament damage and is ruled out. Moritz Jenz is ruled out following an operation on his nose, while goalkeeper Robin Zentner has a thigh injury.
Danny da Costa is also struggling with a thigh problem, so the wily Stefan Bell is likely to play in defence after a long absence.
Paul Nebel is available after suspension, while Phillipp Mwene is fit after recovering from a muscle tear.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Xabi Alonso may wield the rotation wand after some turgid performances of late.
Mario Hermoso will miss the rest of the season after picking up a shoulder injury grappling Harry Kane to the floor, so Tah, Arthur, Tapsoba and Hincapie will likely compete for spots in defence.
Jeanuël Belocian will miss the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury, and Martin Terrier has a season-ending Achilles injury, while Nordi Mukiele is struggling with a calf injury. Alejo Sarco is ruled out with a thigh injury.
Prediction

1. FSV Mainz 05

0 : 1

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Mainz sit in sixth with realistic hopes of securing European football after securing their first win in eight games against relegated Bochum last weekend.
Leverkusen will wish to give the departing Xabi Alonso a fitting send off with a win, while Mainz's prospects for a positive result will be lifted if star man Jonathan Burkardt is fully fit.
Both sides have shipped only 41 goals, which constitutes the joint third best defensive record in the league.
The reverse fixture finished 1-0 in Leverkusen's favour, and we back them for the double to celebrate Alonso's last game in charge of the the deposed champions.
LIVE Text Commentary
90+9'

The referee blows for the end of today's match.
90+8'

A good clearance by a defender means the corner comes to nothing for Bayer Leverkusen.
90+6'

After what seems an eternity, referee Tobias Reichel decides there was a handball after using VAR to review the goal! NO GOAL for Mainz, play to continue.
90+5'

The Mainz players celebrate the goal but the referee immediately signals a VAR review. Let's see what happens. Big moment in the game.
90+3'

Stefan Bell (Mainz) collects the ball deep inside the box from a rebound following the corner kick. He beats the keeper with a sharp shot into the top right corner! Quite a nice goal!
90+3'

The attendance for today's match is 33000.
90+3'

The linesman makes the right call and Mainz will have a corner.
90+2'

Bo Henriksen has decided to make a change. Hyun-Seok Hong (Mainz) replaces Jae-Sung Lee.
90+2'

Substitution. Nadiem Amiri makes his way off the pitch and Lennard Maloney (Mainz) comes on as his replacement.
90+2'

The referee allows time for a substitution. Jonathan Burkardt will be replaced by Nelson Weiper (Mainz).
90+1'

Nikolas Veratschnig (Mainz) decides to strike the ball towards goal, but his effort fails to threaten the goalkeeper after being well blocked by one of the defenders. The ball is out of play. Mainz win a corner kick.
90

7 min. of stoppage-time to be played.
88'

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) goes for goal but he directs his effort just wide of the left post. The ball is off of the pitch and it's a goal kick for Bayer Leverkusen.
87'

Bo Henriksen has decided to introduce fresh legs, with Silvan Widmer (Mainz) replacing Phillipp Mwene.
87'

That will be all from Aleix Garcia who is being replaced by the fresh legs of Emiliano Buendia (Bayer Leverkusen).
87'

The referee demonstrates he won't tolerate this behaviour. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) is given a yellow card.
86'

Mainz will have a chance to score from a corner kick.
86'

The defensive wall does its job and blocks the free kick from Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) on the edge of the box. The ball is out of play and the linesman points at the corner flag. Corner to Mainz.
84'

Mainz are awarded a free kick on the edge of the box.
83'

Today's referee Tobias Reichel rightly decides to book Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen) for his harsh tackle.
83'

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) takes the corner kick and sends the ball among a huddle of players inside the penalty area, but one of the defenders clears it to safety.
82'

Nikolas Veratschnig (Mainz) tries to send the ball in front of the goal, but the opposition's defence averts the threat. It will be a corner kick for Mainz.
82'

Andreas Hanche-Olsen (Mainz) can't expect anything else than a yellow card for his hard tackle. And a yellow it is. Tobias Reichel didn't think twice about pulling it out of his pocket.
81'

Jae-Sung Lee (Mainz) sends a sweet pass into the penalty area, but one of the defenders averts the danger.
80'

Amine Adli (Bayer Leverkusen) is penalised for a foul. Tobias Reichel had a clear view and blows his whistle.
79'

The Bayer Leverkusen players are exchanging some short passes to try and open up the opposition’s defence and hit them swiftly on the break.
74'

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) takes the corner but fails to find any of his teammates.
73'

Mainz seem to be finding their feet as they enjoy some possession. They are waiting for the right moment to create new attacking opportunities.
70'

Bo Henriksen is forced to make an unplanned substitution as Anthony Caci suffers an injury and Nikolas Veratschnig (Mainz) comes on.
69'

Anthony Caci (Mainz) is down injured and the referee stops play so that he can receive medical treatment.
68'

Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen) gets a yellow card, off the field.
68'

Tobias Reichel shows the yellow card to Arthur (Bayer Leverkusen) for a heavy challenge.
67'

A pass lands at the feet of Paul Nebel (Mainz) in the middle of the box, he looks up and shoots but the effort is superbly blocked by a defender.
66'

Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) places a shot from the edge of the box towards the bottom right corner, but Robin Zentner makes a terrific save to deny him. Nice play all round!
63'

Goal! Lukas Hradecky gets a hand on the penalty from Jonathan Burkardt (Mainz), but can't stop it from flying inside the right post.
63'

Jonathan Burkardt (Mainz) will take the responsibility and he is already preparing the ball.
62'

Here comes the VAR decision: PENALTY to Mainz!
61'

Play continues despite the shouts by some Mainz players for a penalty. Wait! Referee Tobias Reichel interrupts the game right now and he will review that decision using VAR! Let's see what happens.
59'

Tobias Reichel shows a yellow card to Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen) for a tough tackle.
57'

Phillipp Mwene (Mainz) slips past one challenge, but is unable to feed a low pass into the path of one of his teammates. The ball is off of the pitch and it's a goal kick for Bayer Leverkusen.
54'

Goal! Aleix Garcia plays a neat lofted pass into the box for Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), who beats the defender in the air and plants a header into the left side of the goal from close range. 1:2.
54'

Bayer Leverkusen work the corner short. The ball is passed to a nearby teammate.
53'

Robin Zentner makes a brilliant save! Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) easily weaves through the defence and fires the ball from mid-range. His effort goes towards the bottom right corner but is saved by the keeper!
51'

Robin Zentner steps in and intercepts a long pass from Amine Adli (Bayer Leverkusen).
50'

GOAL! That’s a great strike from the spot by Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) low into the right of the net, giving goalkeeper Robin Zentner no chance!
49'

Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) is going to take the penalty!
48'

An opponent rises to his feet after being downed by Andreas Hanche-Olsen (Mainz). Tobias Reichel saw the sliding tackle and blows for a foul. PENALTY to Bayer Leverkusen! Great chance to score.
47'

Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) crosses into the box from near the side line, but he doesn't connect as he wanted and it's cleared by the well-organized defence.
46'

Half-time substitution. Nathan Tella will not participate anymore and Amine Adli (Bayer Leverkusen) is coming on.
46'

The referee stops play so that a substitution can be made and Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen) comes onto the pitch for Jonas Hofmann.
46'

The second half has just started.
45+9'

The referee blows his whistle to end the first half and the players are now heading to their respective dressing rooms.
45+7'

Tobias Reichel shows a yellow card to Aleix Garcia (Bayer Leverkusen), who isn't surprised as the tackle was really hard and late.
45+7'

Great teamplay by Mainz as they control the ball with a lot of short passes. Patience is the key if they want to find a gap in the defence to score.
45+4'

The cross into the penalty area from Phillipp Mwene (Mainz) needed to be more accurate in order to create a goal-scoring opportunity for his team. The ball goes out of play and Bayer Leverkusen will have a goal kick.
45+4'

Half-chance! Paul Nebel (Mainz) plays a pass into the box, but Lukas Hradecky reacts well to snuff out the attack.
45+3'

The ball goes out of play. Mainz are awarded a corner kick.
45+3'

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) weaves through the defence and gets one-on-one with the keeper, but fails to score. The ball is out of play. A goal-scoring opportunity from a corner for Mainz.
45

8 additional min. will be played.
45'

Paul Nebel (Mainz) sends a cross into the box, but Lukas Hradecky comes off his line to gather the ball.
42'

Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen) looks to break free, but his touch lets him down and he loses the ball. The ball is off of the pitch and it's a goal kick for Mainz.
40'

Stefan Bell (Mainz) has received a yellow card for his foul.
40'

The foul by Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen) is worthy of a card and a yellow is duly shown by Tobias Reichel.
40'

Stefan Bell (Mainz) brings his opponent down. Tobias Reichel has a clear sight of it and blows his whistle for a foul.
40'

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) will try to find the head of one of his teammates from a corner kick.
35'

A superb goal from great team play! Paul Nebel (Mainz) latches on to a perfect pass and fires an excellent low shot inside the right post. There is nothing a goalkeeper can do about shots like that.
34'

The goal by Mainz is DISALLOWED on the advice of the video assistant referee due to a foul.
33'

Wait! Referee Tobias Reichel has indicated he is going to review the Mainz goal using VAR. It’s probably to see if there was a foul in the build-up.
32'

Goal! Andreas Hanche-Olsen (Mainz) was in the right place at the right time to get to the rebound inside the box and gleefully rifles the ball low into the middle of the net. It's 1:0.
30'

Gooal! No wait, it's been ruled out for offside. Jae-Sung Lee (Mainz) disagrees, but the linesman is sure about his call.
28'

Paul Nebel (Mainz) is disappointed with himself because he got into a good area but produced a poor cross. The ball goes out of play and Bayer Leverkusen will have a goal kick.
25'

A cross is whipped into the centre of the box towards Jonathan Burkardt (Mainz). He gets a good contact on the ball but heads it high over the bar. The ball is off of the pitch and it's a goal kick for Bayer Leverkusen.
25'

Problems for Xabi Alonso as Alejandro Grimaldo is not able to play anymore. His injury is too serious and Arthur (Bayer Leverkusen) replaces him.
24'

Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen) is clearly asking for some medical attention with his painful gestures. The extent of his injury is yet to be discovered.
22'

Anthony Caci (Mainz) found some space to play in a lofted pass, but he looks disappointed as none of his teammates managed to connect with it. The ball is off of the pitch and it's a goal kick for Bayer Leverkusen.
21'

Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen) gets on the ball and beats an opponent, but his run is stopped by the referee Tobias Reichel who sees an offensive foul.
18'

The referee looks satisfied after his VAR review and duly disallows the goal for offside. The Mainz players look gutted.
18'

Wait! Referee Tobias Reichel has indicated he is going to review the Mainz goal using VAR. It’s probably to see if there was an offside in the build-up.
16'

It's in the back of the net! Kaishu Sano slips the ball through to Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), and he darts into the box to unleash a strong shot into the middle of the net. He makes it 1:0.
12'

Tobias Reichel blows for a foul after Anthony Caci (Mainz) was too aggressive in the battle for the ball.
11'

A great run by Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) gets him into the box, but his powerful shot is bravely blocked by a defender.
10'

Phillipp Mwene (Mainz) found some space to dink a cross from the side into the box, but it needed to be more precise to threaten the opposition. The ball goes out of play and Bayer Leverkusen will have a goal kick.
9'

Paul Nebel (Mainz) finds himself beyond the last defender, but the game is stopped by the referee after the linesman signals for offside.
8'

A rebound falls to Paul Nebel (Mainz) in space inside the box. He looks up and fires in a powerful shot at goal that flies just wide of the left post. The ball goes out of play and Bayer Leverkusen will have a goal kick.
7'

Lukas Hradecky was forced into action to thwart Jonathan Burkardt (Mainz). He found himself some space after picking up a pass and unleashed a shot towards the roof of the net but couldn't beat the keeper.
5'

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) sends a wonderful cross from the corner kick. However, the defence works perfectly to clear the ball and avert the threat.
4'

Andreas Hanche-Olsen (Mainz) comes close to scoring! He gets the ball inside the box from the resulting corner but his shot flies just over the crossbar. This should be a big warning for the defence. The ball is off of the pitch and it's a goal kick for Bayer Leverkusen.
4'

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) looks like he will be the one to try and deliver a quality ball into the penalty box from the corner kick.
4'

Surely that's handball by one of the Bayer Leverkusen players in the box, but the referee just waves play on!
3'

Nadiem Amiri (Mainz) attempts to find one of his teammates inside the box with a chip pass, but one of the defending players reacts superbly and intercepts the ball. The ball is out of play. Mainz will have a chance to score from a corner.
1'

Today's match has just started, enjoy the game!
0'

The players are out and the match is about to start. Mainz will have the kick-off.

Tobias Reichel got the nomination for today's game and will try his best to be a fair judge and not make any mistakes.

Hello and welcome to our live text commentary! We will provide you with instant updates of everything that happens in the match. The starting lineups will be announced very soon.