Three things that stood out at Mainz against Bayern: Tuchel’s team passed the character test, defense was shaky

With goals from Kinsgley Coman (11th), Harry Kane (16th) and Leon Goretzka (59th) against a goal from Anthony Caci (43rd), the fortress in Mainz, which had recently been difficult to take, was conquered.

“It was the expected difficult, intense game with a lot of fighting for second and third balls. I’m glad we got through that,” said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel.

For Mainz, however, the downward trend continues. After eight games, the Rheinhessen have yet to win a three-pointer – a first in Mainz’s Bundesliga history.

Three things that stood out at Mainz against Bayern:

Min-Jae Kim in South Korea, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala and Thomas Müller in the USA, Noussair Mazraoui in Morocco, plus a number of other players scattered across Europe – the Bundesliga break was very exhausting for FC Bayern.

And then also away in Mainz, where the Munich team recently lost three times in a row in the Bundesliga. In the end it was 3-1 because Bayern accepted the fight and were fully there offensively.

“You can’t rate today’s victory highly enough,” said Tuchel on “Sky”. “Matthijs De Ligt is playing after a week-long injury and is not yet 100 percent fit. Josh Kimmich is playing because of the flu, Leon Goretza is playing with a swollen ankle, the others are coming from jet lag. That was a great performance and a good win. I’m happy .”

Bayern only had one goal in Mainz: three points – and if necessary, dirty. In the first 20 minutes there was even added brilliance with Coman’s lightning-clean opening goal and Kane’s brilliant header.

But Mainz didn’t give up and kept putting the guests under pressure. In the end, the 05ers had 14 shots on goal, two more than Bayern. With fight, passion and quality in the end, the Munich team brought victory over time. Goals two and three came from energetic pursuit of the second and third balls.

“We never stopped working hard, making the little moves and winning the little duels,” said Tuchel. Character test passed.

After the comfortable, early 2-0 lead, everything pointed to a relaxed evening for FC Bayern. But the Munich team brought Mainz back into the game through some sloppy defensive behavior.

“We created a lot of opportunities to switch, but were a bit negligent. That was also transferred to the defense. We were punished for that and also needed a bit of luck to bring home a deserved win in the end,” analyzed Tuchel .

Goalkeeper Sven Ulreich saved his Bayern once, and the post once. Immediately before the 1:3, Stefan Bell pushed the ball just past the goal after a picture-perfect counterattack in which Bayern completely missed the backward movement.

Mainz took a lot of risks and kept pressing high. This gave Bayern space, but they were also forced to make mistakes in the build-up. One of these ball losses almost ruined de Ligt’s comeback after 27 minutes. The Dutchman brought Leandro Barreiro off his feet and was lucky that he was allowed to stay on the field because Min-Jae Kim was at the same height and de Ligt was not last man.

In other respects, De Ligt’s second outing from the start of the season was underwhelming. Before the goal he conceded, he wandered around the penalty area slightly disoriented and lacked calm under counter pressure. De Ligt fired some balls wildly forward or straight into the stands. De Ligt’s longer compulsory break was clearly noticeable.

Ulreich is playing his eighth season at FC Bayern. He was always a loyal number two behind Manuel Neuer without any great demands. When he was needed, Ulreich delivered solid performances. This season he shines with world-class saves – and now of all times he has to go back to the second tier.

“I’m happy for Manu that he can now be back on the pitch because I really appreciate him as a person. I then sat back on the bench and will support Manu. My role at FC Bayern is clear. If Manu is there and “If he’s fit, he’ll play,” said Ulreich on “Sky”. Humble and loyal as always.

To mark his farewell as Bayern’s part-time number 1, Ulreich gets another treat on Tuesday: Champions League in the cauldron of Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi Rams Park, Galatasary’s home ground in Istanbul.