15th matchday
Mainz remains in the relegation zone after defeat against Heidenheim
Mainz’s Tom Krauss (l) fights for the ball with Heidenheim’s Tim Kleindienst. Photo
© Torsten Silz/dpa
FSV Mainz 05 cannot get out of the Bundesliga table cellar. The Rheinhessen remain without a goal against Heidenheim for the third time in a row.
The Mainz team, who haven’t scored a goal in 321 minutes, are still in a relegation spot with nine points and have to play at Borussia Dortmund at the end of the year next Tuesday.
In addition to goalkeeper Robin Zentner (finger), the home team also had to do without captain Silvan Widmer (flu infection), defender Anthony Caci (abdominal muscle injury) and midfielder Leandro Barreiro (torn hamstring). The resulting personnel changes initially had an impact on the flow of the game for Mainz.
The guests’ early lead goal from Pieringer, who scored from close range after a rebound, further hampered the 05ers. Interim coach Jan Siewert’s team acted without courage and ideas. So it wasn’t really dangerous in front of Heidenheim’s goal in the first half. Three shot attempts from Merveille Papela, Brajan Gruda and Marco Richter did not pose any major problems for visiting goalkeeper Kevin Müller.
Heidenheim fights for the points in Mainz
After the change, Mainz came out of the locker room with more bite. Now the forwards were played with pressure, so that the newcomers found themselves in trouble for the first time. Ludovic Ajorque (48th) had the chance to equalize, but his shot landed on the outside post. Shortly afterwards, Jonathan Burkardt also only hit the aluminum.
Mainz was now well into the game and barely allowed Heidenheim to get out of their own half. But the big drawback remained the weak finish. Despite good approaches and chances, the ball simply didn’t want to cross the line.
The honest guests defended their narrow lead self-sacrificingly. On the other hand, there was hardly anything offensive at Heidenheim. With luck and skill, coach Frank Schmidt’s team survived some difficult situations, such as when Richter only hit the side netting after a mistake by Lennard Maloney.
In the final phase, Mainz threw everything forward again. This gave Heidenheim space to counterattack. In the 90th minute the ball was in the Mainz goal for the second time, but striker Tim Kleindienst was offside when he scored after Florian Pick hit the post. The victory was no longer in danger.