Mainz stun Dortmund to boost Bundesliga survival chances
Vital victory has Mainz on brink of avoiding relegation
Mainz took a huge step towards securing their Bundesliga status for another season as goals from Jonathan Burkardt and Jean-Philippe Mateta saw them defeat Borussia Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park.
On Wednesday evening, had plenty of possession they failed to trouble a well-drilled Mainz backline.
Axel Witsel had an effort blocked after being teed up by Raphael Guerreiro, while the Portugal international also had a half-chance after some neat interplay with fellow wing-back Achraf Hakimi.
Burkardt should then have done better when he was released by Mateta but the 19-year-old made up for it just after the half-hour, angling a header beyond Roman Burki from Ridle Baku’s inch-perfect cross to put Mainz ahead.
Despite a front three of Jadon Sancho, Thorgan Hazard and Erling Haaland, Dortmund continued to look toothless in attack. Emre Can came closest to a Dortmund equaliser before the break, but couldn’t muster enough power to head past Florian Muller.
Things went from bad to worse for Dortmund at the start of the second half as Mainz were awarded a penaltyand Mateta swept home to put Mainz in the driving seat. The visitors held on for a precious 2-0 win, which leaves them needing two points from their last two games to ensure they’ll stay in the top flight in 2020/21.