Elversberg thrash Mainz 4-1 to climb into Bundesliga top five
Berlin: Newly promoted SV Elversberg continued their impressive Bundesliga campaign with a commanding 4-1 victory over Mainz, scoring three goals in the first half to climb to fifth in the standings.
Elversberg took the lead in the seventh minute after Philipp Mwene lost possession near his own penalty area. Keidel seized the opportunity and curled a 20-metre free kick into the corner, beating returning goalkeeper Robin Zentner.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 26th minute when David Mokwa drove forward and set up Onyeka, who held off Paul Nebel before finding the net for his maiden Bundesliga goal.
Mainz struggled to threaten consistently as Elversberg maintained control. Lukas Petkov fired wide in the 40th minute before the hosts struck again in first-half stoppage time. Zentner failed to clear Keidel’s corner, allowing Krattenmacher to evade Nadiem Amiri and Nebel before drilling a low finish into the corner to make it 3-0.
Mainz coach Urs Fischer responded with four substitutions in the 63rd minute, introducing Hollerbach, Silvan Widmer, Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer and Lennard Maloney in an attempt to revive his side’s fortunes.
Konigsdorffer appeared to pull one back three minutes later, but a video review ruled out his effort for offside. Zentner subsequently denied Mokwa in a one-on-one situation to prevent Elversberg from extending their lead.
The hosts eventually scored a fourth in stoppage time when Campbell controlled Nicholas Mickelson’s cross on his chest before completing an acrobatic finish. Mainz responded almost immediately, with Hollerbach converting Konigsdorffer’s low delivery to reduce the deficit.
However, Mainz’s frustrations continued as substitute Stefan Posch was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, ruling him out of the next league fixture.
Mainz sporting director Niko Bungert expressed his disappointment with the team’s recent performances.
“What we showed was very disappointing. We worked hard to make a good start to the season, but our performances in the last two games have been very disappointing,” Bungert said, according to Xinhua.
The victory takes Elversberg to 13 points from eight matches, while Mainz remain on 10 points. Elversberg will next travel to face Borussia Dortmund, while Mainz host league leaders Bayern Munich.