10th matchday
“By and for Bo”: Great emotions after Mainz’s victory
Scored for Mainz’s 1-0 win against Leipzig: Jae-sung Lee. photo
© Jürgen Kessler/dpa
Mainz had to wait over six months for a Bundesliga victory. Now he is succeeding, of all things, after the change of coach. Everyone at FSV still thinks of Bo Svensson.
In front of the cheering fans, the Mainz professionals celebrated their first Bundesliga victory since April. Interim coaches hugged each other in the dressing room Jan Siewert and sports director Martin Schmidt relieved.
But everyone – players, coaching team and officials – agreed after FSV’s emotional 2-0 (0-0) against RB Leipzig. “This is a victory by and for Bo Svensson,” said sports director Christian Heidel. Thanks to their success, the 05ers are no longer bottom of the table.
“That was what Bo wanted from us. That was the only wish and appeal. I hope that he is happy at home,” said goalkeeper Robin Zentner about the former coach, who decided to say goodbye on Thursday had. Successor Siewert said: “I’m totally happy. This victory is for the club, for the players – and especially for Bo Svensson.”
Siewert probably also coached Mainz in Darmstadt
The 41-year-old seized his opportunity and led his team with passion. In the poor autumn weather, Siewert was constantly in his coaching zone and celebrated winning the ball and winning duels as well as his own goals in front of 30,100 spectators. The goals were scored by Jae-sung Lee (76th minute) and Leandro Barreiro (82nd).
Siewert should therefore have the best chance of sitting on the Mainz bench in Darmstadt next Saturday (3.30 p.m./Sky) – and possibly even longer. “He’s a coach for the time being. He hasn’t reduced his chances. It’s in his own hands. He sent out the best application letter,” said sports director Schmidt. Heidel added that the real pressure was now off. The sports director had already named Siewert as a candidate for a longer-term position before the Leipzig game.
Next low blow for RB
For the people of Leipzig, however, the week ends with another sporting blow. After the defending champions were eliminated from the DFB Cup during the week, coach Marco Rose’s team is in danger of losing touch with the top group in the Bundesliga. A largely lethargic and unimaginative performance was not enough to score a goal – that was punished in the final phase by the merciless Mainz team.
“It doesn’t feel good right now. Twice in a row we didn’t get enough forward against deep opponents,” said Rose. Unlike league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, Leipzig currently doesn’t seem to have the stability to be at the top. “I see us as having a duty. We miss the little things, but the little things can make a big difference,” said Rose.
Schmidt: “We were lucky in the match”
Things got emotional even before kick-off when the Mainz team said goodbye to Svensson and his assistant Babak Keyhanfar. “Thank you for your commitment, Bo and Babak!” read a large banner. The sudden departure of Svensson and the case of Anwar El Ghazi, from whom the club separated on Friday after his pro-Palestinian statements on the Internet, have caused unusual turbulence in Mainz in recent days.
But with strong winds and constant drizzle, this time – for the first time since April 22nd – the 05ers should be able to win the Bundesliga again. In the final phase, Karim Onisiwo broke through on the right and crossed to Lee, who headed in a surprising lead. When Barreiro made it 2-0 just a short time later – and the goal also counted after video review – the game was decided. “We were lucky in the match. It’s great that we were able to knock the ball over,” said Schmidt.